◾"𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐨."◾

- Angry too by Lola Blanc

Nothing. That's all you saw when you opened your eyes. You had to rub them and even slap yourself to make sure you were actually awake. You were standing in a dark void of nothingness. Looking around you saw nothing. It was all nothing. What happened, you suddenly wondered. It took a minute for it all to come back to you. Oh, now you remember. You were stabbed through the chest by Wukong. Were you dead? The thought made you terrified. You couldn't have died. Not yet. If you did you would have failed your only purpose. You would have failed everyone. You would have failed the world. Your breathing quickened as you began to panic, frantically looking around for something, anything, to prove you were still alive. That you weren't dead. That you hadn't failed. What if MK was in trouble? What if Nezha was in danger? What if the Lady Bone Demon won and erased everything and everyone?

"Calm down, Y/N!"

Your head snapped towards the source of the voice, revealing.. Wukong? No, he wore the same yellow bonnet with the blue bow, and the familiar yellow robe with the orange spotted skirt and red pants he used to when he was young. When you two were still best friends. Your eyebrows furrowed as you examined his appearance, and a cheeky smirk spread across his lips.

"Miss me? I know you did! Who wouldn't miss little ol' me?!"

Wukong cooed in a childish tone, running up to you and pouncing on you in a great bug bear hug. He was a bit shorter than you, the side of his head nuzzling against your chest. He looked up at you with bright innocent eyes. You looked back at him weirdly, calming down from his hug. It was grounding, and it reminded you of a simpler time. You awkwardly hugged back, your arms wrapping loosely around him in return. He seemed to beam at that, hugging you even tighter. He suddenly hoisted you off the ground, making you let out a startled noise. Your feet slight lightly touched the ground, due to his shorter height.

"Tell you what, I missed you! It's been ages since I've seen you!"

"Where am I?"

You immediately asked, letting go of the hug and expected him to do the same. However, he instead became silent, placing you back on the floor. His arms never left your torso, only tightening around you. He let out a long sigh, sounding almost.. disappointed?

"You aren't dead. Don't worry. Just... Dreaming! In a sense."

"Dreaming?"

You repeated, your eyebrows furrowed as you glanced around at the pitch-black void. This didn't feel like a dream.

"Yeah! Well, sorta. You'll wake up soon."

"How am I not dead?"

The sudden question caused him to visibly stiffen. You could hear his breath catch in his throat, his grip on you almost painfully tight. You shifted, the long silence making you feel deeply unsettled. His grip only seemed to tighten by the minute of tense silence. You were about to ask him to let go, but he suddenly let go and painfully gripped your shoulders. He gave you a wide toothy grin, showing off his sharp canines. Even if it looked friendly, it sent a shiver down your spine. His eyes crinkled as he smiled, and for a split second you could swear his expression looked more sinister. When he spoke, it was quiet and monotone. Any hint of his usual playful tone gone, which creeped you out even more.

"C'mon, hun. You didn't think you could leave me that that easily, did you?"

Your winced audibly as his grip tightened, which he seemed to hear. Yet, he didn't let go. You felt your bones popping as his grip continued to tighten by the minute, causing your breath to hitch. He then let you go suddenly, making you take in a gasp of air. He watched you take a step back and regain your composure. You were trying to regain your breathing, before a sudden flash of white light blinded you. You let out a pained cry, falling to your knees and covering your eyes.

"Aww, they're waking you up? Already?! I wanted to keep talking with you!"

You faintly heard Wukong speak in a hushed yet disappointed and playful tone. You felt his arms wrap around your shoulders as he tucked you against his chest. His hand rubbed your back in a circular motion and you kneeled in front of him, your head buried in his chest. You opened your eyes when they finally got used to the light and looked up at him.

"Oh well, you can't get rid of me that easily."

You palled when you saw his eyes glowing a familiar blue, his expression cold and stoic. He seemed to stare straight into your soul, foot then pressed against your chest. He then roughly kicked you back, causing you to lose your footing and begin to..fall? Wind rushed past your face as the ground beneath you seemed to have suddenly disappeared. You sent him one last frightful glance, only to see him glare down at you and turn his back.

You woke up with a strangled gasp, shooting up into a sitting position. You immediately regreted it when you felt lightheaded, colors blending together in your vision. You heard faint voices that were muffled slightly from the strong white noise ringing in your ears. It only lasted a few seconds as you soon began to feel better. You blinked rapidly, whipping your eyes and looking up at Sandy, who was gently holding your shoulders. You felt a sudden weight on your lap, glancing down to see Mo. You smiled down at the blue cat and scratched behind his ear as silent thanks for helping you feel better.

"You okay?"

Sandy's voice was gentle and caring, giving your shoulders a gentle squeeze. You smiled up at him and nodded. He gave you space as you stood up, holding Mo in your and gently petting him for comfort. Now you understood why Sandy had so many therapy cats. Mo really helped you calm your anxiety.

Looking past Sandy, you noticed Tang, Pigsy and MK staring in concern. Your eyes widened slightly when you saw Redson there too. What was he doing here?

"Looks like someone had a bad nap."

The deep voice hade you stiffen as your head snapped to Macaque, tied up with a rope next to the Mayor who was giggling and muttering manically to himself. You cringed at the sight.

"What happened when I was out?"

You immediately questioned, carefully handing Sandy the cat in your arms. MK immediately pounced on you in a hug. You reciprocated it, used to his sudden hugs by now. He hugged you lightly, explaining what happened after you were..stabbed?

Oh right, you remembered now. MK explained how Sandy had bandaged the wound with the help of Redson. You only pat MK's back as he ranted about a plan to stop LDB, before Pigsy pulled him away and scolded him for not giving you space after you almost died.

The Mayor suddenly let out a burst of manic laughter that caused everyone to look at him.

"My Lady wouldn't let you die so easily! You're still an important piece in this game she knows she'll win. She hadn't accounted for a two celestial being to stand in her way. However, instead of Sun Wukong's swift vengeance, the Great Monk showed my Lady mercy. Until she had come to see the error of her ways, she was to remain imprisoned. Ha, the fools! Now her time has come again. The Samadhi Fire is the one thing strong enough to cleanse not only the mortal plane, but the Celestial Realm and everything beyond even that! A fresh start! A clean slate! Just as she had planned. The mech is a weapon to channel the Samadhi Fire. Now that it is in her possession, it's only a matter of time until the final moment arrives. My Lady's power is too great for you to best. Your friend will surrender the Fire. My Lady's victory is assured!"

"She didn't look so hot last time I saw her."

Macaque sassily remarked, rolling his eyes at the glare the Mayor sent him. MK soon butted in.

"Nu-huh. You're in time-out, so you don't get to chime in."

Mk scolded Macaque like one would scold a misbehaving dog.

"Sandy, spin him!"

"Sorry, Mr. Maquack."

Sandy's hand encased Macaques head as he spun him so his back was facing the group. The sight made you snicker.

"Come on, kid. You must have seen it." Macaque urged. "She might be stronger than ever, but she's spread too thin. The mech, the crystal, and now Monkey King? I bet you anything that keeping him suppressed is using every ounce of strength she's got."

You went to stand by Redson, silently appreciating how quiet he was and not bombarding you with questions.

"Thanks for saving me and not letting me die."

Redson seemed to stiffen at your soft thankful voice and you watched his cheeks redden and him stutter and struggle to speak from shock.

"W-Well, I-I couldn't just let you die! Y-Your the most tolerable out of these p-peasants."

He seemed to mutter the last part more quietly but was not unheard of by you. You chuckled lightly, before staring in silence at the others as they argued about something. Your short feeling of amusement quickly as you watched them, the topic of LDB lingering in your mind. She's always at the back of your mind. Especially now that she apparently has Mei. You knew Mei was strong, but you still felt a terrible feeling about Mei being in LDB's clutches.

A gnawing feeling spread throughout your chest as a chill spread through your body. It was like you could feel her gaze on you right now. Her voice bounced off the walls, taunting and mocking you for the little help you could provide to the group since you almost died. Your vision blurred as the room seemed to slowly become consumed with darkness. Your terrified reflection could be seen by the mirrors that suddenly surrounded you. The glass of the mirrors slowly began to crack one by one, the reflection of the Lady Bone Demon replacing yours. Cold hands reached for you, grabbing you, their nails digging through your flesh. Her silhouette began to walk out of the mirror and slowly towards you, a wide haunting smile spread across her face. Your legs were frozen in her ice and the hands gripping you tight caused your whole body to be held in place. You could only helplessly watch, your eyes dilating, your heart pounding. Whispers filled your ears, but the only thing you could clearly hear was the sound over her footsteps getting louder. She was coming closer, and closer, AND CLOSER-

"Y/n!"

You flinched as MK's voice harshly snapped you out of whatever hallucination you must have been having. You could tell you most likely looked petrified. You were shaking, your heart pounding in your ears. You felt a bead of sweat drip down your forehead.

"Y-Yeah?"

"We're coming up with a plan to defeat LDB.. Are you okay."

MK's voice held concern when he saw your pale face and wide eyes. Once you realized this, you quickly fixed your expression and walked over to the huddled up group.

"Yeah, of course. So, what's the plan guys?"
Everyone picked up on your strained voice and nervous tone and decided to drop the topic. They could tell something happened with you, but they didn't want to press you on it. You already went through so much. MK quickly stole everyone's attention as he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Well, if the Lady Bone Demon needs her mech to use the Samadhi Fire, then all we got to do is destroy that mech before she gets the chance!"

Redson was quick to interject, getting heated over MK's simple scheme.

"That's your big plan?!"

"Let him finish!"

Redson was startled by Tang's remark.

"I-I was just checking we were all on the same page. A-As you were, Noodle Boy."

MK gave him a bright smile before taking out his sketchbook and doodling. He showed his messy sketches to the group while enthusiastically explaining the plan.

"We break into the Bone Demon's mech, get Mei out of there, and then we smash the mech into tiny little bits before that terrifying demon knows what's hit her!"

"And what about Sun Wukong? If he shows up-"

You lightly smiled at the angry chibi looking drawing of Wukong.

"Then we fight monkey with monkey! This monkey."

MK pointed towards Macaque, making you scoff lightly. Macaque gave you a small glare from your response.

"Look, I brought you the Lady Bone Demon's lapdog, but I'm not up for being a hero, kid."

"We don't need you to beat him. We just got to keep him busy. As long as he's under her control, the mech's vulnerable. We can do this. You can do this."

You purposely looked in another direction, clearly not pleased to be around Macaque right now. You hated the idea of having to near him at the moment. Macaque noticed your reaction and internally scowled as MK continued to talk to him.

MK noticed the distant look in Macaques eyes, as if he wasn't paying full attention to him. MK was about to call him out on this, until he followed Macaques eyes to you. You were clearly not happy about him being here. MK then let out a groan, grabbing your arm and dragging you next to him.

"Alright. I know you two hate each other right now, but we don't have time for this! We've got a planet to save!"

You grimaced, sending a disgusted look at Macaque.

"I'm so sorry I'm not all buddy buddy with the guy who literally bit my neck."

You pointed to the worn bandages on your neck, tattered and loose. Macaque rolled his eyes, looking towards the ground.

"Why did you even do that in the first place."

You quickly added. You watched Macaque deeply frown, his eyebrows twitching down in confliction.

"You're the one who was gone for so long. Didn't even bother to come by and instead watched everything from afar. Do you know how much happened when you left?"

His left eye twitched at the last sentence as he scowled at the ground.

"And you think this is acceptable because of it?!"

You retorted.

MK grabbed onto your shoulders, squeezing lightly to gain your attention and prevent you from outright lashing out at him.

"Woah woah! Fighting is not what we need right now. At least just tolerate each other for the time being. After this is all over, then you can go back to despising each other. Just put it all aside for now while we save the world."

"I'm not a hero, bud."

Macaque scoffed, his tail flicking lightly.

"Then be a warrior."

Macaque looked up at MK with a look of surprise for a second, before chuckling and falling through one of his own portals.

"Okay, kid." He came out of the portal, untied and standing in front of MK.

"You win."

MK jumped back and let out a short scream in shock.

"What?! You could have freed yourself this whole time?"

Macaque shrugged towards Pigsy. He leaned forward with a calm yet playful tone in his voice.

"What can I say? I'm dramatic."

∘ - ✩彡 - ∘

You sat on one of the beds at the back of the truck as it sped forward, watching Redson make a portal that would lead everyone straight to the Lady Bone Demon. You and Redson were the only calm ones as the rest of the group screamed as they accelerated. Your eyes twitched as the voice of MK's party clone yelled out. You didn't like his voice. It was too loud and boisterous.

As the van flew through the portal and made it out through the other side, the truck continued to accelerate and speed towards the giant mech.

"Uhh, remind me again how we're gonna destroy this thing?" Pigsy asked. He was quickly answered by Redson.

"Macaque keeps Sun Wukong busy."

"We break in and find Mei." Sandy added

"Then we use MK's staff to smash that mech to bits!" Tang finished.

"What? But the staff's gone." MK questioned.

"No. It's not." Macaque answered, leaning against the wall. "Bone Demon's keeping it at the top of the tower. But I don't see how an old stick is going to be of any help."

"That's easy. We'll give her the old Monkey Mech finishing blow. MK always uses his staff to do that!" Sandy smiled brightly, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Even if it's just a big old stick, maybe it'll give you the power you need now to finish her." Tang said to MK, confidence in his voice.

Pigsy placed his hand on MK's shoulder, gripping it firmly. "This whole crazy adventure started with the staff, so it makes sense that we should use it to end it."

MK chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay. I'm glad you guys said that, 'cause I'm not going to lie, I really felt super incomplete without it."

"What do you want me to do?"

You asked suddenly, hopping off of the bed and stretching your limbs. Your ear twitched as everyone seemed to go silent. You looked at them in confusion. They all looked at each other with confliction. Redson was the first to speak, his voice wavering slightly.

"I think you'll be best to stay behind. You're not in the best condition to fight."

You frowned, crossing your arms and narrowing your eyes at all of them. You did take a bit of offense to them putting you aside.

"Oh, you're benching me now?"

"You almost died."

Tang responded solemnly. Your eyes softened at the fact. They were worried about you, and they did have a good point.

"B-But, you heard what the Mayor said. LDB apparently doesn't want me to die."

Pigsy let out a snort, looking at you like a stern parent.

"And you're listening to him?"

"S-Still! I can't just sit back and watch! I made a promise to-"

"Protect the mortal world from harm and destruction, yeah, we know. But do you really want to risk almost dying again? Take it from someone's who had a taste of dying. It isn't pleasant."

You glared heatedly at Macaque for interrupting you, before letting out a sigh.

"At least let me go see Mei, if you guys are so worried about me fighting."

Everyone seemed more on board with your idea. MK looked a little nervous. He walked up to you, gently grabbing your hands and taking you by surprise.

"Please. Stay safe."

He hugged you tightly, burying his head in your scarf. His grip was tight, you could hardly breathe. You just gave him a gentle nod and pat his back with a strained smile. He didn't let go. He was practically suffocating you.

"Alright, alright."

You gripped his shoulders and gently pushed back, but he wasn't letting go. You had to push back harder to force him to let go. You continued to grab his shoulders as your let in a gasp of air when he let go. You chuckled lightly to hide the tension in your body.

"Come on, kid. Let's go."

Macaque called out to MK, throwing the back door of the truck open. You gently pushed MK towards the door. MK looked back at you and the others, seeing everyone's smiling and laughing face, which gave him confidence. He could do this. Everything would be okay. MK and Macaque jumped out of the window, transforming into birds, and flying towards LDB.

Redson suddenly stumbled as the truck only sped up, looking back in confusion.

"Shouldn't we be slowing down?"

Tang laughed, shaking his head.

That's not really how we do