MK swayed on his feet, dancing and spinning. The bag of food stayed balanced in his hand, and before long he nearly walked in on two people conversing.
The brunette frowned, inching away and up a set of beams. As he climbed, a strange bird followed along, making him smile. "They look sketchy, right? And I have never met them before but they...I think I know them?" MK whispered to the bird, bag clenched in his teeth.
Suddenly, using a gauntlet, a red-haired demon pulled out a familiar staff, releasing someone MK had only ever heard in stories. The Demon Bull King bellowed out, celebrating his freedom as his wife and son declared how they'd set him free. The bird suddenly began tapping at the boy's fingers, making MK frantically shake his head.
But then he was falling.
"Bad birdy!" The delivery boy shook his fist at the beams above his head before glancing down, "...Uhm..." The body beneath him thrashed angrily, literally blowing him off with flames, "GET OFF ME YOU PEASANT." MK rolled away with a small grunt, sitting up slowly.
He stared up at the Demon Bull King, the red boy's monologuing lost to him. MK suddenly blurted out a small, "Do I...Do I know you?" Everyone fell silent, and MK flushed. Of course MK knew who they were! Tang told him all kinds of stories. But it didn't feel as if that was it.
Princess Iron Fan suddenly leaned down, tilting his face around, "...Hm. It seems we have quite the guest." MK leaned away, nervously smiling at her. He suddenly flinched, gazing down at the staff.
"It seems the boy is none other than-- HE'S GETTING THE STAFF!"
The blow that should have killed him never came, blocked by a staff. MK stared with wide eyes, his body moving without his brain needing to catch up. He was suddenly out of the construction site, soaring above the buildings. The staff expanded and contracted, and MK found himself able to control it. He laughed in disbelief, shaking like a leaf.
His relief dissipated, however, as a loud voice echoed out, "GET BACK HERE, NOODLE BOY!" MK yelped, scrambling along the rooftops as a flaming demon tried to capture him. But MK knew the city like the back of his hands, and he knew a couple shadows that would be more than happy to move him from place to place.
Eventually, after clambering through numerous buildings and alleyways, he managed to lose the deadly prince. MK sighed audibly, shaking his head. This was nuts, absolutely insane.
Tang.
MK ran forward in search of a familiar noodle shop.
---
Obviously, no one believed him at first. How could they? Lifting the staff was impossible unless you were insanely strong, the Monkey King...or the Monkie Kid.
There was only one way to truly know, and that was to hear it from Monkey King himself.
He was mostly concentrating on getting to Flower Fruit Mountain. Meeting Sandy was cool, and ignoring his friend's questioning gazes was simple enough. But in all honesty, he was unsure of how to feel. Because if he wasn't the Monkie Kid...who was he? What was he?
"Hey, MK? Can we talk?" Mei leaned in, her face formed with worry. MK blinked in surprise, coming back from dissociating, "Oh, yeah, sure. What's up?" She crossed her arms, pressing them against the ship's railing, "You remember when we would sit under slides and you'd tell me about your dreams and stuff?"
"...Yeah?" MK didn't meet her eyes, instead staring at the ocean below. "I think...I think you're... I think you know who you really are." She nudged him gently, "Is it...scary?" The silence stretched out not uncomfortably, and eventually MK cleared his throat.
"No, it...makes me feel, uh, whole? I think? Like, something's missing, and this might be it." He fidgeted with the staff, which had been shrunken down into the size of a pencil. "I know how to do all this stuff, right? But I never...I shouldn't know how to. I just do."
They didn't say anything more, simply standing side by side.
---
MK walked along the volcanic rock, grinning, "Y'know, Monkey King actually formed the islands by stealing Princess Iron Fan's fan! Man that's--"
"Oh, it seems we have a fanboy. How sweet." The wind picked up slightly, making everyone move into defensive positions. MK glanced up, eyes wide, "Princess Iron Fan!" The maiden smirked, her fan twitching in anticipation. The brunette suddenly dove to the side, the staff lurching towards her.
The princess moved quickly, using her son's gauntlet to deflect the hero. MK grunted, refusing to give up. He swung again, moving as if the winds were once an old foe. Princess Iron Fan's smile began to slip as she grew frustrated, and the winds around her increased.
Mei suddenly yelped, slipping where she stood. MK yelled towards her, turning to see if she was alright. That was all his enemy needed.
A moment of weakness.
The staff was suddenly out of his grip, and the winds were sending him away. MK heard his friends scream for him, and the boy only gasped. This was it. He was going to die.
The heat licked at his body, and his eyes closed.
---
Sand. There was sand everywhere, and monkeys.
MK sat up slowly, blinking at the overjoyed primates. One of the monkeys hugged him, as if he were family. The brunette smiled, although mostly in confusion, before standing up to follow them. They led him through foliage, up multiple paths, and towards a large waterfall.
The brunette stared in awe before leaping on the stones, laughing as some of the monkeys began splashing around in the water. Before long, he was before the cascading waters, his face reflecting off of it. A small surge of confidence bloomed within him, and the boy wordlessly raised his hand.
Gold illuminated his vision, and the waters parted. MK stared in awe before rushing into the cave and onto a path. More monkeys shoved him along, hooting in excitement. The paths were beautiful, with foliage and bioluminescent lights covering most of the stone.
A laugh suddenly echoed out. A laugh he knew, deep within his mind.
MK gasped, running forward as fast as he could. His legs burned, and lungs heaved, but he didn't stop. Desperation fueled him, and his eyes lit up in golden hues.
He stumbled before a small hut.
"Hello? Hello!" MK frantically looked around, chest heaving. A soft voice echoed out again, "Qi Xiaotian, is that you?"
His veins burned, mind reeling. The air seemed to light up like a warm blaze, and his vision flickered back to normal. MK stumbled back, hands shaking, "...I-I'm Qi Xiaotian! I'm Qi Xiaotian!" He felt dizzy, spinning in place as his heart thundered in his ears. A body dove forward, and strong arms squeezed around his body.
MK grabbed back just as desperately, heaving, "Sun Wukong, Sun Wukong!" He remembered him. Not everything, most memories were still out of his reach. But MK knew who he was. This was his father, his brother, his closest companion in the world.
The monkey pulled back, hands shakily pressing against the brunette's face, "Hey, bud. Heard you...heard you go by 'MK' now." MK flushed, pulling away, "Oh, no... I came to confirm, yeah, and I'm glad we're together again, but the Demon Bull King is free, and the staff got taken, and my friends are out there, and--"
Monkey King laughed, shaking his head, "Same ol' Xiaotian. MK, that's your staff now." The brunette frowned, "...Yeah..?"
"So take it back! She took it from you and is planning to hurt people. So go and do what you do. Save lives." Wukong grinned, and MK tried to smile back, "Uh, sure...But why can't you do it? You have more experience than I do!" The king's smile fell slightly, and instead of reminding the other that he had fought against the Demon Bull King in the past, he simply nudged MK.
"You'll do good, I swear on it. Hey! I'll even be nearby. What you need, MK, is confidence. I believe in you. But it won't matter if you don't, too."
MK's eyes widened as he slowly nodded. He turned, hands ringing together, "Okay. Take me to my friends, and I'll fight." Wukong let out a small laugh before nodding, "Alright. That's fair enough, bud."
---
He didn't know what happened. MK just wanted to save the city after reuniting with his friends, he'd even managed to stop Red Son! And make a really good plan! So what happened? Why did everything feel so wrong?
One moment, he'd been running up the Demon Bull King's arm, staring at the armor he wore, and suddenly...
Suddenly he was burning. Warm, liquid gold thrummed in his veins and MK briefly wondered if his blood was still red. The staff thrummed, calling for someone within him. MK moved, flowing closer, he felt as if nothing were real. As if he was now a simple daydream.
The staff burned to the touch, his head bursting at the seams with memories and voices. Names blotched into his ears, people he once was and people he'd known once upon a time.
Was he even Qi Xiaotian?
He was suddenly gasping for air, the world glowing in vivid golds. MK gazed down at the bull, and he held out the staff, "I am the Monkie Kid! And you are GOING DOWN!" He launched himself forward, his arms and legs dashing across the sky.
As if his body was not his own.
Maybe it wasn't.
The fight ended much too soon, with the Demon Bull King Family retreating. MK grumbled loudly, calling them cowards and cheaters as his friends embraced him. Tang suddenly pulled away, gawking at MK, "S-So you really are-!"
"The Monkie Kid. Yeah." MK smiled softly, putting away his staff. He suddenly hummed, perking up to look around, "Oh! Monkey King's here, he was supervising. Monkey Ki--er-- Wukong!"
The name felt natural, it felt right. But MK still felt as if he were still missing something.
The king appeared, hugging the brunette, "That was AMAZING, bud! You did great!" He pulled away, looking at each member of the group, "These your friends, MK?" The brunette felt himself relax as Wukong used his current name easily and nodded, "Yeah. Mei, Sandy, Tang, Mo, and Pigsy."
Tang looked as if he were having a stroke as the others simply greeted the king.
MK turned away, unsure of how to feel.
---
"What was I like? In...all of my lives, I guess." MK sipped on some water, sweat falling down his face. They were taking a break from training, and the brunette had taken it as the perfect moment to ask questions.
Wukong turned sharply, eyeing MK for a moment before shrugging. He smiled softly, leaning back, "You... you were always mischievous. And you hated greens with a passion. Is that still true? You liked adventuring throughout the mountain, and hated being still. It was too boring."
MK rubbed his eyes, "Those are still true. Are you just...saying what was there for every life? What about differences?" The king frowned, thinking hard, "Not...much. Maybe just small mannerisms, like in one life you preferred quiet music. And in this one you prefer more energetic songs."
"Oh." The brunette tapped his leg before standing up, "Well, can we try doing something cool now? I'm pretty sure I know how to move accurately!"
---
Macaque watched the boy critically, humming in approval as he managed to leap off of his staff, twirling in the air. The shadow moved away, making sure the king would not notice him.
The warrior had concluded long ago that MK was not his replacement, but something new. A star created through a wish instead of a granted moon. He was a new beginning, only it reseted again and again. He was a genuinely good kid.
And Macaque wanted to bask in his kindness, to share something the Great Sage himself adored. Maybe it was to be petty, but Macaque simply wanted a reliable heart in a world he did not belong in. Death had been cold, but blank, and he only remembered being filled with sorrow and then he'd made a deal. He'd come back, dug himself out of dry soil and loosely rooted grass.
Another chance of life was handed over to him, the least Macaque could do was find a soul who wouldn't mind his faults. After all, if the kid could still forgive and love Sun Wukong himself, then why not Macaque, too?
Gods he was lonely.
Soon enough, the boy headed home, and Macaque followed. He hadn't spoken to the young hero since he was a young child, but maybe now would be a good enough time to greet him once again.
Waiting until the young man was ready for bed, Macaque stepped out of the shadows. MK froze, staring at the intruder, "...Oh, I know you!" He moved forward excitedly, beaming up at Macaque, "You've been gone for a while! Did you come back cause I'm the Monkie Kid? It's so cool! I--"
"Woah, bud! Hello to you, too. I was just checking in, y'know? Making sure the Monkey King wasn't straining you." The monkey smiled sharply before moving to walk along the floor. MK frowned, "Uh, thanks? But he's really nice. Wukong wouldn't--"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
MK shook his head with a playful eyeroll, "Sure. So, are you staying over? I need to know to see where you can sleep!" Macaque melted into the darkness and snickered, "Here is fine, bud." MK simply shrugged and got into bed.
"Night."
"...Night, kid."
Macaque closed his eyes, and flared out his ears. The sounds of the city filled his mind, followed by slumbering people. The rustling of potted plants echoed out, and nocturnal animals chittered and cooed. The warrior exhaled, letting his body calm down.
MK's heartbeat was the last thing he heard before falling asleep.