MK nudged his mentor's soul form, giggling as his arm went slightly through, "Hey, maybe you can have New Years for us for, like, an hour or something." Wukong hummed, "I have a pretty good excuse for leaving early, too."

He cleared his throat, standing tall as he floated, "'The monkeys are scared of fireworks, so I have to be there to comfort them!' See? Perfect." The sage grinned cheekily. MK huffed a laugh before pausing, "...Are they scared of fireworks?" Wukong snorted, "Nah. They sleep through the loud noise and lights, freakin' weirdos."

MK sighed in relief, "Oh, okay. So...Can you come?" Wukong smiled, "Sure, bud. Should be fun."

---

Sandy grinned, "Hi, Monkey King!" The monkey grinned, "Hi! I see you're in the holiday spirit!"

The giant beamed, holding up his goodies, "Would you like some?" Wukong nodded, helping himself to an orange as Tang vibrated in his seat in excitement. The king smiled shyly, "Uh, Happy New Years." The scholar gasped, "H-Happy New Years to you, too! M-Monkey King!"

Pigsy and Mei were less welcoming, but he didn't mind. They didn't know him, so he simply gave them a big grin and tried to enjoy himself. Eating wasn't an option, unfortunately.

He still mourns food, trust me.

So the orange he held was simply for the fun of it. He liked fruits, sue him. And maybe he could drop it off at Macaque's as a...small gift. They were still coming to terms with each other, and the sage was honestly worried about the small wisp of hostile magic in the shadow user's soul.

Pigsy huffed, "Want anythin' to eat?" Wukong smiled softly, "I'm afraid the monkeys fed me earlier during a grooming session, so I'm a tad too stuffed. Thanks, though. I bet it's amazing." The chef huffed, puffing his chest proudly before moving on to feed MK.

Wukong smiled as the parade started, small fireworks going off above him. He was about to say his goodbyes, but then Mei claimed to see a spider-themed float.

---

"MK, WATCH OUT!"

He shoved the boy out of the way, gasping as webs tangled into rope-like structures as it covered his body. He was abruptly pulled back, and watched with wide eyes as the group yelled in alarm.

He landed roughly, flickering slightly. "My, what do we have here? The Monkey King!" A sweet voice sauntered over, followed by a spider demoness. She grinned, using her mechanical legs to lift him. Spider Queen strung him up, watching him coyly.

"...Oh, great. A wanna-be queen got some sticky butt-ropes on me."

He screamed as he was suddenly shocked, sending his magic spiraling but unable to fight against the currents. Spider Queen smirked, "Neat trick, hm? You, my dear, are my living battery! And...I am more than excited to see how much you can give."

The monkey felt an anxious rage pool into him. If he ran out of magic, he'd disappear for who knows how long! And MK couldn't have that, especially since Wukong sensed a dreadful presence on board the mech.

She left, laughing heartily as his body flickered, trying to let go of his soul.

---

MK was antsier than usual, he desperately wanted to get Monkey King back. He couldn't hold his form for that long! And if his spirit form couldn't escape, then it meant bad news. It was his fault he got captured!

Mei frowned, touching his shoulder, "Hey, is Red Son being here bothering you? We can still throw him out if you want." MK shook his head frantically, "No! He knows how to make a cure, Mei! I'm just...worried about Monkey King." The dragon girl frowned, "Huh? But he's Monkey King! I'm sure he's just fine, dude!"

The brunette smiled softly, nodding. He continued to look out into the city, hoping her words were true.

---

"Dannng, they got you, too, huh?" Wukong tried to keep the strain in his voice out, but by the way DBK blinked in surprise he didn't do a good job at hiding his exhaustion.

Screams filled the air as the webs shocked them, but by this point Wukong was too tired to make a noise and simply went rigid. His body was becoming translucent, and the flickering streaks of gold became much more prominent.

The bull king's eyes narrowed, "...Simian, what is the meaning of this?" Wukong faked ignorance, gasping instead, "We got captured by Miss Prissy! We're, like, living batteries. How did you forget already?"

The bull's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Simian."

Wukong looked away, trembling as his magic strained itself. "After my journey, Heaven still decided I couldn't be trusted. So they..." He paused, gasping as his body shuddered wildly. The sage sighed, hanging his head limply, "I don't have my body anymore. It's just my soul, and I can only turn tangible for a few hours at most."

DBK's eyes widened, "But, if you are just a soul right now..." His words hung aimlessly, waiting for the monkey to answer his concerns. Wukong nodded grimly, "I'll disappear for...a while. I'm nothing but my magic right now." He strained against his webs, "...I'm sorry we fought."

Demon Bull King sighed, "As am I, simian."

---

MK stared blankly at the sight before him.

'Guarding' the furnace as if he was a garden decoration stood a figure he knew. One decorated in moss and coiling flowers. A figure he'd only ever imagined ever meeting without the need for magic.

Sun Wukong's body was standing before the artifact Heaven had first used to trap him, eyes closed and body rock-still.

The boy moved forward, hands reaching for the king. His fingers brushed against soft skin and wild, curly tufts of fur. MK laughed, tears glistening in his eyes as he took in the discovery. Monkey King can be complete again, were his only thoughts.

Excitement caused the boy to laugh in disbelief and joy as he admired his mentor. MK moved, eyeing the clothes he wore, the blooms he held, and the perfect stance. This was great! He had to tell Monkey King--

MK huffed, shaking his head.

This was amazing, but first thing's first, he needed to get the furnace.

---

Wukong shuddered once more, weakened greatly by the webs. Demon Bull King watched with an old worry, eyeing his dissipating form.

"Sim-- Wukong, why did you seal me away?" The monkey blinked sluggishly, "Cause if I didn't...Heaven would...would..." He paused, trying to process his words. A cold dread seeped into the bull's mind.

Wukong had made plenty of mistakes, that was true. But that was still his mischievous little brother. The same one who barged into the bull's home and demanded to be friends. He still remembered that day, despite the centuries left between then and now.

---

The doors slammed open, revealing a small monkey. A human would call him an adolescent, though he was clearly still a child by demon standards. He was dressed in neat clothing, his hair curling around his freckled face.

"You! You are strong, be my ally!" The small ginger beamed proudly, waving a staff around. The Bull King snorted, shaking his head in disbelief, "Monkey, why would I be your ally?" The bull was teasing, of course. He, along with many other kings, had witnessed the young one's rage against hunters. And they'd seen his power against the figures from Heaven.

The young king paused for a moment, "...Well, uh... I have lots of fruits. And I'm really strong! I bet you'd like to go to my mountain, too! It'll be fun?"

The bull king laughed, shaking his head in disbelief, "Well then. When you put it that way, I do suppose I should be your ally." The monkey beamed, whooping in excitement.

And so Demon Bull King came to see Flower Fruit Mountain.

Imagine the bull's surprise when he witnessed the ginger stare at his ebony counterpart the same way he'd witnessed powerful pairs of royalty gaze at one another when he eventually visited their mountain.

---

A protective urge surged within him, and he began to strain against his bonds.

Wukong watched weakly, humming in question. DBK simply roared, pulling hard against the webs. He pushed his arms out, his mind buzzing as he rode out the wave of electricity coursing within him.

His son needed him, as did his younger brother. He was not going to let either down, not as long as he had the strength to fight.

---

MK crashed through the mech, eyes searching for his mentor. A huge figure moved into his line of sight, and the hero gasped as he recognized who it was.

Demon Bull King moved through the dust and debris, a small body glitching with golden hues resting in his arms. MK ran forward, worry evident in his voice, "Monkey King!" The ginger opened his eyes slowly, turning his head towards his student.

The bull handed off the monkey, humming softly, "Keep him safe. I'm destroying that damned arachnid." He leaped, and as he did so, MK smirked, "We've been destroying the mech in secret. Queenie didn't know what was going on until Mei sprayed it with our cure water!"

The monkey smiled, humming in acknowledgment. MK carried him out, placing him on his back, and hopped out of the mech. The spiders, unfortunately, had gotten away, although the bull made sure they weren't unscathed.

Magic was suddenly released causing surprise fireworks to go off.

Wukong grinned as he watched, and MK soon set him down, "I'm gonna go tell the others I made you leave to go rest your injuries, okay? I'll be right back." The brunette turned, running to his friends to tell them the monkey felt unwell.

A large hand picked him up, and the monkey sighed contently, "How is...Red?" DBK laughed, "Brilliant as always. The dragon girl and the noodle boy seem to have taken a liking to him." The monkey laughed, gasping sharply as his limbs began to disappear.

Wukong's eyes widened, "I-I'll visit! I--" The bull nodded, "I know. Take care, simian. Go home and rest." He watched with a heavy heart as his little brother disappeared, leaving an unnatural warmth in his arms.

---

A ghost once more, and with too little energy to become tangible for the next few days, Wukong was unable to physically train MK. MK was very understanding, though, so that was nice.

And on another note, Macaque ate the orange he left him! Well, it was a different orange than the one Sandy gave him, but he still gifted Macaque a fruit of good fortune for the holidays. They weren't on speaking terms yet, Macaque was still processing and hurting, but they were getting somewhere.

MK huffed, "You've been talking to Macaque?! I thought you guys hated each other." Wukong sputtered, "Hey! I was just peeved he used you and didn't bother showing his face all this time! But I don't hate hate him!" His student suddenly sat up, grin set in a proud motion.

"I know where your body is!"

Wukong reeled back, hands flailing, "You what?" The brunette nodded, "Your body! It was in front of the furnace up in Heaven!" The king rubbed his cheek, eyes wandering as he took in the unexpected information, "...It's just...resting there?" MK nodded, "Like a statue."

The irony in that sentence nearly caused the monkey to release a bitter laugh.

Wukong sighed, "Bud, I...also have a bit of news for you." He'd seen the Lady Bone Demon as the spiders fled, he knew it was her. He knew her magic. And he made sure to tell MK about the demoness.

Anxiety pooled in his gut, "While I'm gone, you--" MK nodded, butting in excitedly, "Should continue to train and do my best to learn new tricks! Yeah, I can do that! You go find your body, figure out how to get back--"

The king frantically tried to regain his student's attention, "MK! We can figure out training, okay? But you need to be careful, like, extra--" The brunette blew on his tongue, making a funny sound as Wukong mentioned her host, "Easy! This city will be mega safe with me and my friends! You just go get back your body!"

Wukong stared at the boy's glowing eyes, only seeing pure excitement and urgency within the gold. The monkey grimaced, "...Promise to be careful?"

MK waved a hand dismissively, blowing out of puckered lips, "Psh, duh! Now go!" If he could touch his mentor, Wukong would've been shoved off of the cliff by now. The king simply nodded stiffly, soaring away as MK shouted out encouraging words.

Hopefully the boy heard some of his warnings.

---

Pigsy huffed, "He left?!"

MK nodded, eating happily as his friends processed the information, "Yup! I made him go have some time off." He nodded proudly to himself, "Though he hesitated, but I got him out!" Mei frowned, "He didn't wanna leave for a vacay? Why?"

MK opened his mouth to speak, but froze.

Pigsy felt his eyes twitch, "Did he say why? Or anythin' at all?" MK laughed nervously, "Uhm, I mean, he said something. Uhhh, it's probably fine! He was definitely just telling me he's proud and that he knows he can trust me with the city! Yup."

The chef felt anger bubble up, "...So you're tellin' me he didn't wanna leave, said somethin', you made him leave, and you don't even know the reason for why he hesitated?!" The brunette slumped in his seat, "...Basically."

Tang grimaced, "MK, what if it was a warning? Or what if he prefers his home over going somewhere unfamiliar? Or worse!" The boy felt a cold sweat pool along his back. Monkey King was going to Heaven. A place that screwed him over a bunch of times, and that he messed up a couple other times!

"He'll be fine. Okay? We're all just fine."

Pigsy was tempted to throw a spoon at two very specific people. Monkey King for agreeing to leave, and MK for not listening to his mentor's last words.

---

Wukong stopped by the dojo, phasing through the walls.

"Macaque. Hello?" He looked around, trying to find the other monkey. He stumbled into a room filled with equipment, and on the floor, meditating, was Macaque.

Wukong floated closer, blowing softly into his ear. Macaque grimaced, shuddering as he opened his eyes, "...Annoying chimp. I thought you'd shut up for good." The king cackled, "I am no chimp! I am The Monkey--" A shin guard was thrown in his direction, going through his stomach, "What do you want?"

"...I'm gonna be gone for a while."

Macaque's eyes widened, "What? Why?" He stood up, ears moving, his glamours having been dropped moments prior. Wukong sighed, rubbing his face, "A couple of reasons. MK says he found something. Plus I need to find a weapon." The warrior frowned, "A weapon..?"

He placed a hand against his chest, feeling the hostile magic inside of him grow in intensity, "It has something to do with the Lady Bone Demon, isn't it?" Wukong blinked, making a noise of surprise, "You know her?" Macaque scoffed, "Know her? She's the one who revived me. I'm stuck to her--"

His breath hitched, and his stance became more rigid, "Wukong...She's going to come for me."

Wukong frowned, placing his hands above the other's shoulders, "You'll be fine. Just... Look, help out MK. Tell him I sent you or something. We can figure something out I'm sure! I'll send messages, no doubt!"

Macaque grimaced, "We can't trick her, and what if the kid doesn't want anything to do with me? I...kinda wasted my first impression, bud." Wukong sighed, unable to answer.

Macaque suddenly slumped, "...Get going, Wukong. I'll try to do what I can."

---

MK whistled to himself, walking up the mountain towards Flower Fruit Mountain. He was trying his best to check up on the place, with Monkey King gone someone had to watch the monkeys!

But as MK made it to the entrance, he realized the waterfall was open.

"Monkey King? Are you back?" He stepped through, overly confused. "Sorry, bud. Not Wukong." The brunette jumped with a startled yell, gasping in surprise. The shadows stretched, revealing ebony locks of fur and a familiar red scarf.

The monkey stepped out smoothly, giving the boy an unimpressed stare as MK stepped back, his staff out and ready, "Macaque?! How'd you-?" The monkey muttered softly, "Wukong never revoked my access to the cave."

MK swung, stepping into his strike and nearly slammed Macaque out of the cave. The warrior moved, dodging and weaving as he tried squeezing his message out.

"He stopped by, saying I should keep an eye on you or something. Seems you're quite the trouble maker." MK frowned, moving the staff to the lower left of the monkey's body, "What's this supposed to be, exactly?!" He yelled as a shadow tripped him, sending him tumbling, though not before clobbering Macaque on the jaw.

Macaque hissed, but didn't retaliate, "I'm the messenger, bud. It happens." The hero rolled over, propped up by his knee, "...Okay. Do you have a message now?" The warrior scoffed, "Nah, that was the message." The staff extended, nearly slamming into the other's chest.

MK grimaced as Macaque fell through a shadow, "But then how is he sending you messages..?"

Macaque paused for a moment. That...was a good question. Wukong was made up of magic, his soul was all he had. So if he used magic...

"Fucking Wukong..." Macaque rubbed his temples, grumbling beneath his breath. MK seemed to come to a similar conclusion, because his eyebrows shot up as his mouth formed a small 'o', and he stopped swinging momentarily. The ebony monkey sighed, "Welp, see ya around, MK." He sank into the shadows, leaving the other behind.

"...What just happened..?"

---

Wukong yawned, somehow tired already despite not reaching Nezha's Temple quite yet.

Getting the map would be easy, the barrier was meant to defend against his body, not his spirit form. Besides, Nezha didn't know about his...predicament, so it would be easy to avoid the Lotus Prince.

The king brushed his hands against the clouds as he ascended upward, humming contently as it moved through him. The view was beautiful, and he wished he could show MK just how amazing cloud soaring would be once he learned.

Wukong shook his head, snapping back into focus. He needed to move, and fast.