▪ "𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞." ▪

A large weight was then suddenly thrown on you, making you stumble back, trying to regain your balance. When you steadied yourself, you looked down to see Wukong clinging onto you. His grip was tight on your scarf, and he had buried his face in your chest. You felt a bit uncomfortable with him clinging onto you so violently, but just pat his back awkwardly. It took a while for him to let go, but eventually he did. He had been crying, you could tell because of his glossy cheeks, and slight pink eyes. There also was a tear-stained area where he had covered his face. He quickly wiped his eyes, embarrassed that he was crying in the first place, and gave you a large smile. "I haven't seen you in centuries! Where have you been!? And how do you know I was here?" You chuckled, placing your hands on your hips. "Well, I met up with Nezha after you destroyed his temple, and he told me about the whole Samadhi Fire business. So, I came here to come watch over you to make sure you don't accidentally destroy the world, and doom humanity." You said all of that with a large smile, fiddling with your scarf. Wukong pouted, crossing his arms, and turning away, like a child. "Hey! I'm not that immature." You snickered at his response and patted his shoulder. "Sure Wukong, sure." 

The others on the deck in front of the two godly beings stood confused at their interaction. Who was this, and how did they know Monkey King? You noticed their staring, but just ignored it. You were too busy talking to your former friend. Suddenly, his successor, MK, came in between you two, cutting your conversation short. "Wait, hold up. Monkey King, who is this?" Mk asked his mentor, pointing to you. Wukong hummed, and used his tail to lift MK and sat him away from you. Monkey King's tail then recoiled, and wrapped around your waist, pulling you next to him. "This is partner in crime, Y/N! They've decided to help us find and reforge the Samadhi Fire." You glanced at the Sage, before looking back at MK, and waved. 

MK stared back at you, confusion evident in his eyes, as he sat on the floor. You sighed, wriggling your way out of Monkey King's tail, and walking over to MK, standing over him. You held out a hand to the boy, smiling. MK stared at you, then your hand skeptically. Reluctantly, he took it, and you hoisted him back to his feet. He gave you a curious look, while you just smiled at him, putting your hands behind your back. "Yep. The names Y/N." You casually stated. The boy in front of you perked up at your voice, tilting his head slightly. "Wait, so-" He gasped, smiling widely as sparkles filled his eyes. "Does that mean you fought with Monkey King!?" You were slightly taken aback by his sudden excitement, but still nodded. He beamed at your answer, before quickly turning around and running past his friends, and through a door behind them. Everyone stared at where he went, confused at what he was doing in the ship. Next thing you knew, he was right in front of you, a book in one hand and a pencil in another. "What kind of adventures have you gone with him!? What was he like!? What how many demons' butts did you guys' kick!? I bet a lot!" He eagerly waited for your response, leaning closer to your face. You just looked at him with wide eyes, taking a step back. Suddenly, another male, also holding a journal in his hands with a pen, also appeared close to you with an amazed expression. "I would also like to know this!" Your eyes wandered to both of them, and glanced at Monkey King for a second. He seemed to also be surprised with the male's reactions, and looked back at you, signaling that he was ready to step in. You gave him a small smile, to which his stance faltered. You turned back to MK and the other, clearing your throat. 

"I can tell you all about that later. For now, we've got a fire to reforge, and I'll probably be staying here for the time being. If you guys don't mind, I'd like to at least get your names." The males blinked, before MK nodded, shoving his book and pencil in the pocket of his jacket. "Sure thing! I'm MK-" He then posed dramatically. "Also known as Monkie Kid, Monkey King's successor!" You chuckled, despite already knowing his name, but you felt that if you mentioned that, then he would get even more hyped up. He snatched your hand, making your breathe hitch in surprise as he dragged you to the girl that was bandaging Wukong's head. 

"That's Mei!" He told you, as you looked at her, still a bit stunned at the way MK had pulled you away. Mei looked at you for a moment, before squealing. "Ohmygosh!" Your body tensed up as she uncomfortably stared at you. She then came close in front of you, and reached a hand up to touch the top of your head. You harshly flinched, and your stance became ready for fighting, if it was necessary. You felt her hand rub your hair, and her squeals of excitement became louder. "YOUR HAIR IS SO FLUFFY! You've gotta tell me what hair product you use!" You blinked at her yell, your stance faltering as you let out a small 'oh.' You smiled nervously, scratching the back of your neck when she took her hand off your head. "Uh, I don't know. It's natural?" You stated, though it sounded more like a question. You were then dragged again, now standing in front of the man who, with MK, had asked you about Monkey King. 

"This is Tang. Me and him are pretty much Monkey King experts." The man, now who you know as Tang, seemed a bit embarrassed about the hole Monkey King thing, because when he glanced at you, he flushed and looked away, slightly ashamed of his past action. You only smiled kindly at him, silently letting him know that you forgave him. He seemed to light up about it before you were pulled to the next person. You now found yourself standing in front of the pig, who wore a chief's hat. He glared at you, as you stared at him with a weird face. 

"This is Pigsy!" MK chirped, before getting closer to your ear and whispering. "Try not to get on his bad side though, he can be pretty mean." Pigsy snarled at MK's last comment, that he clearly heard. 

"Kid!-"

"Anyways, this is Sandy, but don't let his intimidating looks and height get to you. He's actually a really chill guy, who can make some real good tea! And the cat on his shoulders is Mo." Sandy smiled at you and waved, as you smiled back at him. The blue cat on his shoulder meowed in your direction, as you glanced at it. "And that's pretty much everyone!" MK came up behind you, putting both his hands on your shoulders. 

He then jumped in front of you, his arms extended as he leaned forward to give you a hug. "With you, saving the world is going to be so much fun!-" "Hey, bud. Give them a bit of space will ya." Monkey King's tail once again wrapped around your waist, lifting you and placing you next to him. MK fell to the floor, face planting onto the deck of the ship. You winced at the thug that rang out through the ship when he hit the floor, hard. He then bounced up, unfazed, as if nothing had ever happened. Monkey King's tail slid off your waist and wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "So, I still wanna know where you've been all these centuries, and why you at least didn't come to visit." Wukong asked, as he pulled you closer. You became uneasy, averting eye contact with him, and silently panicking. You felt all eyes on you, and a bead of sweat rolled down your face. You broke away from Wukong's contact, and scratched your cheek. "T-That sounds like a story for another day." You knew everyone noticed your discomfort, and you deeply sighed. "Though, first thing's first, how about we look at the map to see where we need to go find the first ring. We're wasting time just standing here and doing nothing." You said, your tails swishing from side to side behind you. 

MK nodded with a determined face, and Monkey King handed the map over to you. You opened it, staring intently at fire symbols in each location. Frowning, you continued to inspect the ancient piece. This wasn't going to be easy, but you never expected it to be. You then felt a weight on your shoulder, and glanced over to see Wukong had placed his head on it, also looking at the map. You slowly looked back over to the map, and not a second later, another weight was felt on your back. You then glanced over to your other side, seeing MK having climbed on your back, and Mei looking over your shoulder, followed by Tang. Sandy stood behind you, and Mo jumped down and sat on your head. Pigsy was the only one to keep some kind of farther distance, standing behind Tang with uncertainty. You looked at them weirdly, before focusing back onto the map. 

A loud blast took everyone by surprise, and it blew them all back. You kept your grip on the map tightly, as you were thrown into the air. The loud sound of another engine caught you attention, as you landed perfectly on your feet. You secretly tucked the map in your belt, and readied yourself for battle. "The Lady Bone Demon?! How did she catch up to us already?!" Pigsy yelled, as Wukong landed on his feet. MK had slid behind you three, on his back with his legs in the air. You glanced at him, before using the chains on your belt to lift him, and gently place him onto to ground. He thanked you, as you nodded, looking back into the distance to look for the source loud roaring engine noise. "Oh no." You hear Wukong groan, and you glanced at him in confusion. "Oh, Wukong!" You froze at that that voice and the laugh that came after it. You nimbly dodged the blasts that were directed to you all, and looked up to see a purple jet, with too familiar face behind the wheel.

"Macaque?" 

(Sorry if this chapter isn't as well written as the last one.)