Wukong woke up an hour before they arrived at the Demon Bull King Family's fortress. It was surrounded by lava and steamed, blacked rocks marking the land. The king had embraced MK for the rest of the drive, chirping weakly to calm himself down.
"We'll be fine." MK whispered, smile soft on his rounded face. Wukong exhaled, wispy puffs of air escaping his lips. His heart was thundering in his chest as he spoke, "Bao bei, what if he still hates me? What if we have to deceive him?" The brunette shrugged, wiggling in place, "He won't. You're brothers, too."
The king pulled away, a sad gaze on his face. MK felt his heart stutter and weighed down, "No, really, I promise you'll be okay." Wukong laughed, "I should be the one telling you this! It must be daunting." MK's smile fell, "I sealed him away, too." Wukong grimaced, shaking his head, "No, you didn't. MK, you aren't... You didn't--"
MK pulled away, smiling as if nothing had happened, "We're here. Come on, Mei is coming to get us."
---
Red Son gawked at the group before hesitantly letting them inside.
Now, sitting around the dining table with the Demon Bull King Family, MK wanted nothing more but to disappear. But he wouldn't do anything too rash, not with Wukong gripping his hand beneath the table, shakily breathing with a calm smile on his face.
MK was the one who spoke up, "We need the Samadhi Fire. We need your ring, please." Mei spoke out next, grinning confidently, "I can wield the Samadhi. We can save everyone!" Princess Iron Fan denied, glare set on her face, "That fire cannot be controlled! The world will be destroyed--"
"More than it already has been?"
Silence.
MK swallowed thickly, knowing he could take back what he'd said.
"The Lady Bone Demon is literally freezing the world over. She will stop at nothing to make it nothing. Literally nothing." MK tapped the table, ignoring the food in front of him, "The fire's the only thing that can stop her." He then looked over at Red Son.
"Is that why he's always angry?" The small boy looked up into red-gold eyes, "Because they took his fire?" Wukong smiled, shaking his head, "No, it's because he is like his mother." He then gave a teasing smirk, "And she's a whole whirlwind!" Qi Xiaotian laughed, shaking his head, "How is that possible? She makes wind, how did he make the Samadhi?"
"We can't save anyone without your fire." MK watched as the redhead's eyes widened. He looked up at his parents, mouth hanging in shock. The Demon Bull King exhaled slowly, recounting a story from long ago. A story of a little boy, born from a demon and a celestial, with power his small body could not handle.
Wukong exhaled slowly through his nose, and MK duly noted how he hadn't eaten, "We need your ring. Please." The resigned tone echoed out, crushing them down. The bull stared at the monkey, and suddenly glanced over at MK.
"...Fine. But you better be true to your words."
---
Red Son avoided MK for a while. He insisted it was to train Mei as much as he could until they had to leave again, but it hurt.
Wukong had said Mk wasn't the one who'd sealed away the Demon Bull King. And the worst part was that the king had been so sure and so terribly honest. MK had believed his words to be universal. But now he wasn't so sure.
"You doin okay, kid?" Pigsy patted the brunette's back, eyes glazed with worry. MK exhaled, wilting.
What was he doing wrong? What was he missing? What was he not understanding? His past lives keep insisting he isn't them, and yet... They are. They are the same soul, different minds. Memories merged and combined, and it made MK want to scream.
"I don't know." MK looked away from his father, ashamed.
Hooved hands cup his face, "Hey, don't worry. Remember what Monkey King said, yeah? We'll be alright." The brunette let out a choked sob, and he was embraced with strong arms. The smell of noodles and cilantro washed over him, and MK cried.
They'd all had families, and many lives had had other family members besides Wukong. MK was another one of those lives, and he was happy he'd met Pigsy. He was happy something led him to the beloved restaurant. He was happy to have another parent who was so different yet so warm.
---
Red Son came back again, greeting MK with a harsh tap against his shoulder. The brunette blinked in surprise, staring at the redhead.
"He called me a moron." Xiaotian whined, staring at the ground with a frown. Wukong laughed, shaking his head, "He didn't really mean it. Honest. See, sometimes we say things that we mean at that moment but aren't true." The boy hummed, frowning loosely, "Promise?" Wukong nodded, embracing his wish, "Of course."
"I...apologize for taking my discomfort out on you." Red Son cleared his throat awkwardly, and MK smiled. He laughed, shoulders shaking as watery eyes closed together, and the bull prince eyed him in surprise. The brunette shook his head, gasping for air, "I-I thought... It's okay. I get it." He cleared his throat, stomach sore from laughing so hard.
"...You're weird, Noodle Boy." Red Son rolled his eyes, and MK huffed, "How was training with Mei?" The redhead took the invitation for a topic change, "Well enough. I have created scrolls for her to continue training once you leave tomorrow."
"Thank you."
Gratitude came in many ways. It came in the form of a bowl of spring rolls after a hard day of work. It came in the form of sleepovers and secrets shared at night. It came in the form of stories and grins shared with another. It came in the form of sliced fruit and warm fur.
It came in the form of teary smiles and a soft voice.
"...Of course." The fire demon glanced away, clearing his throat, "The Dragon Girl has been looking for you. I suggest you do not keep her waiting." MK nodded, "Sure." He walked away, knowing the other needed some time to himself.
---
"I don't want you to do this." Changyu confessed softly, lip wobbling. "I don't want you or your friends getting hurt!"
MK blinked hazily, "We have to." The Fourth shook his head, a wail escaping his lips, "No, no, no! Don't do this! Don't!" He grabbed onto the younger's shirt, pulling at it, "Please!" MK swallowed thickly, shaking his head. "DBK gave us his ring."
Changyu released MK, burying his face into his hands, "No! Why would you take it? Why would you take his ring?!"
The boy stepped back, fear rippling out. He'd never seen any of his past lives in such a state. Granted, he'd only met a few, but never like this. Sometimes they were somber, but never so distraught.
"He forgives us. He forgives how we sealed him away--" MK gasped as hands roughly gripped his shoulders, golden eyes glaring into his own amber-brown irises, "That was not you." Changyu heaved, trembling, "I sealed him away with Wukong-- I did that. You weren't there!" MK felt lightheaded, confused beyond comprehension.
"But you...I'm you. Baoshin said--"
"Stop it!" Changyu let him go, letting out a pained snarl, "You will die if you continue this! The Samadhi is a god killer. You will die!" MK shook his head, raising his hands up, "No, I won't! We'll do fine. The world needs us to--"
"NO."
The void shook, and MK fell onto his knees. He gasped, looking up. Changyu was sobbing, eyes wide in pure fear as his voice shook them.
And then MK was running, feet slamming down against the vastness of his mind as he crashed against the monkey who'd once been the Monkie Kid. His arms embraced Changyu, squeezing him as brown fur tickled his nose. MK inhaled, ignoring the onslaught of wails and screams. And slowly, they fell into silence.
"...I'm sorry." Changyu croaked, rubbing his dimmed eyes. "I'm just scared. I want you to be happy." MK nodded. "I know. Thank you."
---
MK sat up, rubbing away the sleep left lingering in his eyes. The boy grumbled quietly to himself, shifting out of bed.
Mei greeted him, her own guest bed being next to him, "Morning, MK." She examined him, giving her best friend a look, "Your dreams. Were they weird last night?" The boy grimaced, nodding slowly, "Yeah. The, uhm, Fourth was...upset. He doesn't think we should release the Samadhi Fire."
The dragon girl frowned, "Did you tell him we had to? No, sorry, I know you did. How did he take it?" MK smiled at his childhood friend, "He was sad."
His arms embraced Changyu, squeezing him as brown fur tickled his nose. MK inhaled, ignoring the onslaught of wails and screams. And slowly, they fell into silence.
"He was scared. Uhm, I kinda managed to let go of it." MK glanced up at his best friend, trying to smile. Mei nodded along with his words, lips puckered as she mulled over his words. She then huffed, rubbing her hands together, "I get it. I'm scared, too." She shifted on the bed, bringing her knees up to her chest, "Red Son's worried, too. And Monkey King keeps checking on me, saying I can back out if I don't think I can do it."
MK's eyes widened, "Oh."
He hadn't thought of that. Of course he'd known the others were on edge. How could they not? The world was at stake and the danger would only increase. But he never knew the extent of it.
Seeing his expression, Mei waved her hands out, "You weren't supposed to know! I'm just telling you so that you can maybe understand the Fourth." MK frowned, shaking his head, "Why wouldn't anyone tell me?"
She smiled.
"Because you care too much. You would feel terrible, and this is my choice. I don't want you giving yourself a stroke." And then she laughed, shoulders shaking, and MK felt his own chuckles ring out. Maybe it was because of shock.
"Come on, we're getting ready to go." Mei pulled him out of bed, and MK didn't dare announce he was still tired.
---
MK laid against Wukong, watching the TV idly as Pigsy cheered.
He then sat up and gasped, "The Second Ring!" The brunette scooted forward as Pigsy exclaimed excitedly they'd need to go to the moon. Tang observed the screen, suddenly beside MK, "...You're right! But how will you get up there?"
Wukong stretched, smiling towards his student. MK had been steadily gaining his powers back over the past few days of training with Wukong and talking to his past lives. Now, the king wanted to push against the boy's limits.
"Build a rocket!" Wukong gestured at the T.E.A., grinning in excitement. MK blinked owlishly, tilting his head, "...Transform the van into a rocket?" The king nodded, "Yeah. I know you can do it!"
MK knew he could. His powers had built back up, similarly to Wukong's after he'd meditated. But he wasn't very sure he was ready for such a huge step. He was nothing like the wish Wukong had made long ago. He was just...MK.
As if reading his thoughts, the king nudged him. Smiling sweetly, rivaling the purest of sugar, Wukong spoke in a gentle tone, "You can do it. You are MK, the Monkie Kid." And MK knew that was all true. He knew everyone believed in him, believed in his strength. Wukong nudged him forward, "Imagine drawing."
A hobby they shared.
Wukong placed his hands over the boy's, lifting them up towards the vehicle. He inhaled, the sound tickling MK's ears and making him smile. Peaches, soil, and sunlight washed over him like a calming fragrance. Something he knew like his own mind.
"Imagine picking up a brush." Their hands began to glow. "Imagine picking up a painting you don't like very much." A golden orb formed in front of the pair. "Imagine painting over it, and creating something new with that same canvas." MK closed his eyes.
He breathed.
The van didn't make a sound as golden waves of energy washed over the land. The group washed in awe as the glowing metal formed into different shapes, and as soon as the magic died down, Wukong let go of the young hero and laughed.
"I told you you could do it!" The king beamed, scooping up MK into his arms and spinning him around.
---
Chang'e let them have the ring in exchange for keeping her company for a few hours.
MK felt saddened, knowing she couldn't come down. He thought of Macaque, who loved the moon and was like it, formed by its borrowed light. The warrior was lonely, surely, and the Moon Goddess seemed to understand.
"You'll bring him back." She reassured him, smiling softly, "The Sun and his beloved Star will lead the Moon back home." MK had laughed, "Isn't the Sun a star, too?" Chang'e simply responded, "Yes, but the Sun shines down upon the world, and the Star brings hope and numerous stories."
She'd shown him the constellations, "Stars create stories, heroes. Stars bring forth wishes and happy faces." MK looked up, and smiled. "The Sun brings warm days, the Moon brings cool nights. And the Star brings comfort wherever you see them."
MK looked down at the Second Ring in his hands, warmth beating throughout his body. They just needed one more ring.