Monkey eventually stopped running when she was completely out of breath.
"Good workout (Y/n)." he smiled as he handed her the notebook back.
"S...Screw you!" she panted, snatching it away from him before letting herself fall on the ground.
"Why don't we go sit over there instead?" he pointed towards the meadow on a slop beside the road.
"I...am *not* moving!"
He sighed and picked her up with one hand, holding her under his arm and putting her down in the middle of the meadow. He sat beside her and admired the scenery for a while, waving at the occasional carriage that passed by. It was a nice sunny day, with a few clouds creating some shades, and colorful flowers here and there. He picked a blade of grass and put it between his lips with a pleasant smile. (Y/n) was too tired to join him in this moment of serenity, her eyes were closed as she caught her breath.
"Man, you know, sometimes you just gotta sit back and watch the world pass by."
"Cool..." with heavy movements, she sat up and lightly hit her legs to feel them again.
"Say, learned anything from this confusing nonsense yet?" he nodded towards the book.

"I think so." she looked at it. "Like how we, living beings, along with our material universe is all just ph-phene-phenomena-wait." she picked up the book and flipped through the pages for a short while. "Uh...Phenomenological!"
He frowned.
"That is not a real word."
"It totally is!" she pointed at the page.
"And even if it is, you don't even know what it means."
"Well basically- Um..." her gaze wandered, waving her hands as if it'd make the words come to her faster. "The whole world, that we see, hear and touch, is just a manifestation - like an illusion - of a more, I guess 'real' reality, accessible through enlightenment. So we have to work on transcending that fake reality... I guess."
Monkey couldn't help but smile, she didn't even sound sure of her words.
"Well, that's truly a shame." he laid back, his hands behind his head. "'Cause this looks and feels pretty real to me."
Confused at first, (Y/n) looked ahead and her eyes widen slightly. They seemed to once again be in a completely different part of the country, she's never seen those flowers before, and she's never seen the ocean before either, now it was constantly on the horizon. The two of them stayed like this in silence for a while.

"...How's the ocean?"
"Salty."
She frowned, she expected something more poetic, and longer. She looked at him, unknowingly smiling.
"Salty?"
"M-hmm."
"Why would it be salty?"
"Probably so humans don't drink from it. It is where dragons live, you wouldn't want people to drink your home."
"That's a fair point." she nodded. "So is it like, just one giant river?"
"It's got sand."
"That doesn't sound right." she lightly shook her head. "Deserts have sand, and there's no water in the desert, why would there be sand right beside the biggest water supply ever?"
Monkey gave her a weird look.

"What?"
A second passed and he puffed out a laugh.
"You're weird."
"Hey!" she lightly hit his arm. "Where does that come from?"
"From when you assumed that *I* didn't know ocean, I *know* ocean." he said with a confident smile, pointing at himself with his thumb.
"...You can't even swim!"
"Neither can you! *And~* humans can't breathe under water. How embarrassing." he mumbled that last part, although he purposefully said it loud enough for her to hear.
She frowned and hit him again.
"If I had some of those paralyzing paper seals left, I'd use one and kick the immortal life out of you!"
"Oh you wanna give it a go?!" he excitedly stood up and raised his fists while he lightly jumped from left to right. "Let's see if you made some progress! Come on!"
She looked up at him then at her legs and hit them to make sure they were working again. Then she stood up and raised her fists.
"Bring it on Monkey King."

He smirked. He started off by walking around her for a bit, noticing that she was waiting for him to attack first. With a feint step to the left he suddenly stepped to the right and swung his fist, which (Y/n) successfully dodged. He whistled to signify that he was impressed.
'He always starts from the right when he fights.' she thought.
He giggled excitedly. Since his arm was extended, his right side wasn't guarded, so she took this opportunity to try and punch him in the face. But just then, he changed his center of gravity to the left and kicked her in the stomach, sending her backwards. With a dry cry, she fell down on her back and glared at him as he cackled.
"Oh don't look at me like that. No one is a match for me, especially not a *human*!"
She knew he didn't mean any harm by it, but those words hurt more than she thought they would.
"You see my dear friend," he put his hands behind his back, acting like a teacher. "a commun first mistake people make in battle is-"
"Get away!!!"

The two of them looked over to see a young pig demon (though he looked more human than most), seemed to be a around twelve years old, running over to them. He jumped in the air, did a front flip and landed between them, facing Monkey. He had a long bamboo branch as a weapon.
"Nice entrance." Monkey casually folded his arms.
"Get outta here demon! Leave the sexy human woman alone!"
"Excuse me?" (Y/n) stood up.
"Don't worry lady! You'll thank me with your body later!"
"What?!" she blushed, shocked.
"Learn basic decency brat!" Monkey stomped towards him, ready to teach him a lesson.
"Oh boy this is it." the demon child smiled to himself. "My first real fight against a bad guy. Get ready to die demon!"

He dashed towards him and attacked him in a rather specific way, he has clearly been training. (Y/n) was certain this would be over in a second, yet Monkey was hit clear across the face.
'No way!' her jaw dropped. 'Is he able to hit him because he's a demon, despite being a child?'
This would've twisted her heart. But, when Monkey looked back at the demon, she saw the look on his face and realized that he's been hit, not because of his opponent's skills, but because he was too shock to properly react. The child, with a confidence boost, attempted another attack by jumping and striking from above. This time, Monkey grabbed his stick like it was nothing. The child let out a surprised cry but kept holding his weapon, struggling to break free as his feet dangled above the ground.
"Hey kid, where did you learn those moves?" he asked with a dead serious expression.
The look on his face was enough to scare the kid. With incoherent whining, he looked back at (Y/n) for help, who just glared at him with her arms folded. Although she didn't understand what Monkey's deal was, him being afraid was payback for being disrespectful.

"She doesn't help brats brat." Monkey said. "Answer the question."
The kid sniffed and glared at him.
"When my dad comes he'll kick your butt demon!"
"Okay pause." he raised a hand. "Don't you know who I am?"
(Y/n) snickered, he looked offended.
"Look kid, eheh, I'm kind of the biggest deal you'll ever meet. I'm *Sun Wukong*. You know, *the Monkey King*?"
"I know who you are! I know you're a phony!"
"What?" our two protagonists said at the same time.
"Yeah! Everyone says you're the super hero warrior but I know my dad's the ass kicker who gets all the ladies!"
"What are you talking about?" asked (Y/n), frowning in her confusion.
"No way." Monkey whispered to himself, paler than before.

He finally let go of the kid, who landed on his feet, although he stumbled a little bit.
"Take us to him." he pushed him forward.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm as he started to walk. "Is this kidnapping now?! You're in big trouble!"
"For you information, you're the one who attacked us!" (Y/n) said as she followed them.
"Oh. So, you're together...?"
"Yes. I-I mean-wait!" she stopped, blushing. "Not like *together* together, it's just- like- we're here. And we're in each-other's presence, most of the time. That's how 'together' we are. But not in like a *together* kind of way."
"(Y/n) hurry up!" Monkey called out, him and the kid just kept going as she had this little moment.
"Right yeah sorry!" she quickly said as she caught up to them.

The trio walked for a while and passed by a town, although the kid was careful not to be seen by humans.
"Say, uh..."
"Zhu Wuneng, Wuneng for short."
"Wuneng," (Y/n) nodded. "are the humans in this town against demons?"
"They're mean to me and dad!" he explained. "He said they're just haters though, so I just ignore them."
"Oh did he now?" Monkey narrowed his eyes.
She noticed he still had this grave look about him, and he seemed in a hurry to see the kid's dad. She had a weird feeling about this. They entered a dense forest, then a clearing with a little house in the middle, with a vegetable garden, and a few training dummies around it. Another pig demon was in the middle of gardening, his back facing them. While our two protagonists were taking in the sight, Wuneng took this opportunity to run away.

"Dad~!"
"Mmh?" he turned around. "Son, you're back!"
"Dad help! The nasty monkey's back for revenge!"
"Monkey-?"
He looked up to have a good look at whoever came with his son, but instead a fist punched him dead in the face hard enough to knock him back into a tree and destroying said tree. (Y/n) and Wuneng gasped in horror. Monkey looked beyond enraged. The father coughed, his snout bleeding profusely.
"Oh I came for revenge alright!" Monkey said between gritted fangs. "You *bastard*! You *despicable* bastard!!!"
"Mo...Monkey?" the pig demon looked shocked and confused. "Big broth-"
"Don't you dare call me that!" he pointed at him. "You've lost that right a loooong time ago!"
"W-Wait!"
"I have!!! I have waited for a hundred years!"
He dashed towards him, rotating his staff.
"Dad!!!"
With no time to dodge, Wuneng's father just shielded himself.
"Monkey stop!!!"

Suddenly, Monkey let go of his staff and fell beside the demon, holding his head as he wiggled and cried in pain. But all the while, he kept his piercing gaze on the demon, who looked truly disturbed.
"Ah!" (Y/n) covered her mouth then rushed towards him. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!"
Just as she said 'I'm sorry', the pain stopped, and Monkey sat up, panting.
"What is going on?!" she asked. "Who is this?!"
He stood up, a hand still on his head.
"Who do you think?" he mumbled.
She looked at the pig demon, who Wuneng helped stand up. Unlike his son, he looked like your typical demon. He looked a lot older than Monkey though, looked to be the same age as her father before he died, but given how demons aged, he must be a lot older than that. Her eyes widen.
"No way." she said in a breathy voice.
She looked at Monkey, but he was avoiding anyone's gaze at the moment.
"No way!" she repeated.
"I see you're surprised lady, and I understand." the pig demon cleared his throat and puffed his chest. "Yes indeed it is I, Zhu Bajie, Bajie for short. Known in the legends as the all mighty Pigsy!"

"You're alive?!"
"Oh. You know about that..." he glanced at Monkey. "Of course you do. But hold on, who are you?"
"I'm (Y/n), I'm, well..."
She showed him Tripitaka's book of sutras. Bajie took a long look at it with narrowed eyes, eventually, he gasped loudly and pointed back-and-forth between the book and her. She couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction, which made Monkey groan.
"The sutra of last resort! Master used it after all!"
"Right, me and Monkey met a few months back and...it's kind of a long story."
"I'm sure it is and I wanna hear all about it around a nice cup of tea! Come along!"
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her to the house. She glanced back at Monkey. He still looked angry, but he followed them.
"Big br- uh, Wukong, you're joining us?" he asked with hopeful disbelief.
"I refuse to leave her alone with your crusty perverted ass."
"Ah." Bajie tried to keep a smile on his face, but he was clearly hurt by that, even (Y/n) looked shocked, the two of them felt colder at that moment.

"Hey don't you talk to my dad like that! He'll kick your butt!"
"Wuneng, why don't you go train while the adults talk?"
"What?! No~!"
"We're gonna talk about very secret stuff, it'd be too dangerous to drag you into this."
"Yeah, very dangerous." Monkey said, never looking away from Bajie. "Someone might die."
"O...Okay dad." Wuneng dragged his feet to the training dummies as the adults walked inside.

Unlike Monkey, (Y/n) was happy to meet Bajie and she was looking forward to get to know him.
"Your home is so pretty!" she said as her and Monkey sat at the table.
"Oh thank you, but..." he said from the kitchen next door, now with a bandaged nose. "I'm not responsible for it."
"Figured." Monkey sighed, resting his head on the palm of his hand. "Looks too clean."
Bajie soon came back with a tea set and a few fruits for Monkey. (Y/n) thanked him as he set the items on the table.
"Wow Pigsy! You know how to make tea?" Monkey exclaimed, balancing one of the fruits on his finger. "Did you learn it while I was locked away in a giant crystal for a hundred years?"
(Y/n) nudged him, and they glared at each-other. Bajie chuckled awkwardly. She told him all about what happened to her and how she met Monkey.
"Oh my! That's incredible!" he smiled. "For such a pretty lady, you're also really smart and strong!"
She bashfully laughed.

"Are you saying a woman can't be all those things?" Monkey's eyes narrowed. "Think again. Don't get tricked (Y/n)!" he leaned closer to her. "I bet he taught his kid this whole 'thank me with your body' stuff."
She pursued her lips as Bajie scoffed, his eyed darting around the room.
"He said that?! No way!"
"Don't play dumb with me! I know you!" he pointed at him. "In a hundred years, you haven't changed at all!"
"Uh..." he pointed at his beard, which (Y/n) supposed wasn't there before.
"I'm gonna kill him." he stood up.
"Woawoawoa! Monkey please!" (Y/n) wrapped her arms around his. "Let's at least hear his side of the story."
They looked at each-other for a moment. Monkey clicked his tongue and let himself fall back down, his arms folded.
"Do tell." he pressed his words.
Bajie gulped and looked down, rotating his cup between his hands.
"When...When we were attacked, I was injured and I passed out. When I woke up... you and Master were gone."
There was a moment of silence.
"That's it?" Monkey asked.

He nodded. Monkey took a deep breath, took (Y/n)'s cup and gave it to her before slamming his hands on the table, breaking it in half and knocking over everything that was on it.
"Liar!" he exclaimed. "You pretended to pass out so you could escape fighting didn't you?!"
"No! I swear! It's true!" Bajie leaned back.
"Stop lying!!! Running away as always been your first option, ever since we met!"
"Monkey please!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "Calm down!"
"It's not even your cowardice that pisses me off right now." he said, ignoring her. "It's the fact that during those hundred years, you've been *here*." he gestured around the room. "In your cozy house, with your son." he smiled, full of spite. "Bet you were reeeally comfortable huh, praying on the town's women and lying about being a hero you could never be, ever."
"...I thought you were dead."
"I'm Sun Wukong!" he hit his own chest. "You really think they'd kill me!"
"I don't know! They could've!"
"Did you even *try* looking for me?!"

There was a moment of silence. Bajie looked down.
"I moved here, I just wanted to have a quiet life alone after this." he said. "And then I met...her."
With a soft expression, he looked at a portrait of a middle-aged woman on the wall. Her really messy hair was covering most of her face but she seemed unbothered by it.
"Her name was Chyou. Together we had Wuneng, she's the one who made this place livable." he chuckled under his breath.
"...She seems nice." (Y/n) said.
"I don't think I've ever loved a woman as much as I loved her. She passed away of old age. My only goal in life now is to take care of our son. That's what I've been doing all those years. Wukong..." he looked at him. "I really didn't know."

There was another moment of silence. Bajie sniffed as tears built up in his eyes.
"What are you crying for?" Monkey asked with the upmost apathy.
"I..." he looked down, wiping his eyes with his forearm. "I just now realized how happy I am to see you again."
Monkey sighed sharply and looked away. (Y/n)'s eyebrow furrowed as she patted Bajie's shoulder.
"Is it happiness? Or is it all the pent up guilt finally catching up to you?" he asked in a monotone voice.
No response.
"Sandy and Bai Long, are they...?"
"...I took their bodies back to their homes."
Monkey clenched his shaking fists before stomping out of the house and slamming the door behind him. (Y/n) wanted to call out to him, but he was already gone.
"I'll go talk to him." she said and put her cup aside before standing up.
Bajie just sniffed again as she left.

"Monkey!"
He stopped and waited for her to come up to him. Seeing them exiting the house, Wuneng took the chance to join his dad inside.
"I'm not apologizing." he said with a stern voice.
"You don't have to. Though," she glanced to the side. "maybe breaking the table was a bit-"
"Don't even with this!" he pointed at the house. "This guy basically left me to rot, and he was out here being a creep! This whole time! Unbelievable!"
"Monkey." she gently put his arm back down, keeping a hold of his hand. "I understand that you're angry, I would be too. I'm not saying you're in the wrong here at all. Just..." she slightly shook her head, in a bit of disbelief. "Your friend is still alive. He's here." she gestured towards the house before leaning closer to him. "You and I both know this doesn't just happen. Although we wish it could."
He sighed, his eyebrows furrowed for a quick moment before frowning again.
"But why did it have to be *him*?"
She sighed too.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "maybe he really is a coward and he hid to survive. Whatever happened, he's here now. That's gotta count for something."
He clicked his tongue.
"Yeah great. The coward creepy skirt-chaser is back. Hu-rray~." he waved his hands in the air while rolling his eyes.
"Come on, you saw the way he was looking at that portrait. And he is a father now, he might have changed along the years."
"Excuse me!"

The two of them looked over to see a group of guards stepping into the clearing.
"Is Zhu Bajie here?"
"Uh..." (Y/n) watched confused as those behind him walked to the house. "Why?"
"He is under arrest for kidnapping the mayor's daughter yesterday."
Her eyes widen and she looked at Monkey, who just folded his arms and slowly shook his head. He didn't seem surprised in the least.

.
Our two protagonists watched as Bajie was arrested and followed him to his trial. On the way there, people would call him a monster, a pervert, and other things that shouldn't be repeated. Bajie gulped as he stood in front of the town's mayor and his council, feeling the stares of the audience on his back. Despite this being a trial, no one was defending him.
"For the last time demon," the mayor glared at him, as if it took everything in him not to shake and hit him. "where is my daughter?!"
"And I'm telling you I don't know!"
"You really think we forgot all the kidnappings you're guilty of?! You literally moved here saying quote 'the women here are hotter'!"
(Y/n) rubbed her face, her and Monkey shaking their heads.
"It...I..." he sighed. "Okay it's true I used to be like this, but I changed! I met Chyou!"
"The lonely woman you kidnapped?!"
"I didn't kidnap her!"
"Lies! Because you seemed satisfied with that one, we left you alone. But this has gone too far now! Where did you take my daughter?!"
"I don't know! What tells you this isn't the work of the fox demon in the forest huh?!"
"Oh please! The fox demon never leaves the forest, he couldn't have."
"He totally could've! I'm telling you, I'm being framed!"
"That is enough." the people of the council stood up from their chairs. "Zhu Bajie, you are declared guilty of one too many kidnappings, and are to be executed. Take him away."

"Huh?! W-wait!" Bajie exclaimed as he's being dragged away by guards.
"Dad!"
Wuneng tried to run to him, but was stopped by guards.
"Leave my dad alone!"
"Stay put freak."
"No! Dad!" he started crying. "Dad!"
Seeing him crying, (Y/n) eyes filled with tears, some of her feelings resurfacing.
"It's okay son!" Bajie said. "Don't be mean to the authorities please, I don't want you to be punished because of me!"
"Dad!"
"Would you shut up!" the guard rose a fist.
"Stop!!!"
Everyone froze as (Y/n) walked up to the mayor and his council.
"If you kill him, whether he's guilty or not, you'll never see your daughter again. Let him go and bring her back."
"Wait what?" Bajie, at first relieved, was now perplexed.
"Oh please." Monkey rolled his eyes. "If you let him go, then he's just gonna run away!"
"The monkey demon is right!" the mayor said. "We can't let him leave!"
"...Then let me take his place while he's gone."
"What?!" Monkey and Bajie exclaimed at the same time.
The crowd gasped and whispers echoes throughout the court room. Monkey walked over to her.

"What are you doing?!" he whispered harshly.
"We have to get the mayor's daughter back, if Bajie is guilty then he knows where she is, if he's not, then he's still an experienced kidnapper, he knows about that stuff."
"Do you realize how stupid you're being right now?! He's just gonna run away, and even if he doesn't, he might not even be strong enough to fight that fox guy not that he's old!"
"Which is why you're going with him."
"What." his frown deepened.
"Together, you'd have more chances of succeeding. You're friends-"
"He is *not* my friend. Never has been." he said between his teeth. "Is this just a trick to make me spend time with him?"
"What? No, I'm doing this because I trust-"
"You met him literally an hour ago. Don't play this game with me."
"...I trust *you*."
There was a moment where they just looked at each-other. Monkey frowned and his eyes narrowed, the fact that what she said made his heart skip a beat annoyed him given the situation. Meanwhile, the mayor and his council whispered amongst themselves.

"Very well." the mayor turned back to her. "Zhu Bajie has until sundown to bring my daughter back. If he's not back by then, then the young lady will be executed."
"Mmh?" she looked at him with big eyes.
"You're taking his place, what did you think was gonna happen?" Monkey folded his arms with a smirk. "Still think this is worth it?"
"...Yeah. I knew that would happen." she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself.
Monkey sighed, noticing her sudden nervousness. The guards removed Bajie's handcuffs and put them on (Y/n), the two of them exchanged a look.
"M-Miss, you don't have to."
"It's okay."
"Just say the word and I'll break you out." Monkey said.
"It's *fine*." she looked back at him as she was escorted to the dungeons. "Death isn't the end anyway. I met Tripitaka, that worked out well for him. Maybe I'll reach enlightenment who knows. It's fine, I'm fine. This is fine."
She smiled, but when she turned around, her expression fell and she chewed on her lip. After that, everyone walked out.

"Keep the lady company okay?" Bajie asked his son.
He nodded and left, leaving the two demons alone. Monkey, his head hung down, rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.
"Sooo..." Bajie awkwardly walked up to him. "Hehe aye~ Wukong and Pigsy~" he lightly hit his arm, scared like he'd explode if he hit him too hard. "iconic dynamic duo~ hehe-AAAH!" Monkey grabbed him by the collar. "Please don't kill me!"
"Let's go." he said in a voice full of venom as he walked away, dragging Bajie's body with him.
"W-wait! Broth-" Monkey tugged on his collar, making him gag. "You're strangling me!" he said in a coarse voice. "Help!" he called out to the towns people, who just ignored him.

.
Monkey finally let go of him once they where back to his house, tossing his body forward.
"Where are you keeping the girl?" he asked as Bajie was coughing loudly.
"Wh-why do you assume I kidnapped her?!"
"Because you obviously did."
"Then why are you helping me?!"
"The only reason I'm doing this is because (Y/n)'s protagonist complex is acting up again." he rolled his eyes. "Sacrificing herself to someone who's not even worth it. Where's the girl?"
"I'm loyal to Chyou!"
Monkey scoffed.
"Don't make me laugh! You lied about moving here to have a quiet life and you're lying to your son about your 'exploits'." he leaned closer. "You haven't change one bit."

His words seemed to have hit him hard. He stood up.
"I did change, and so have you." he glared at him. "You're even more of a jerk now."
Monkey clicked his tongue.
"Where're you keeping the girl?"
"I didn't kidnap her! That damn fox did it!"
"*Fine*!" the volume of his voice made Bajie curl up in fear. "We'll pay a visit to your little friend. But if we don't find her," he raised an index, then pointed at the house. "I will tear away every plank of wood and every tile of this house until there is nothing left to hide. Understand?"
Bajie quickly nodded.
"Good." he placed his staff on his shoulders and nodded forward. "Lead the way."
"Just one second."
Monkey watched as he hurried to the garden and took a rake with him.
"What happened to your rake?" he asked, not recognizing the one he had right now.
"It...It broke, during the battle."
"Ah. I see." there was a short pause before he got stern again. "Come on, let's get this over with quick!"

.
Now, the last thing Monkey wanted was to further interact with him. But another thing that hasn't changed about Bajie was his inability to shut up.
"Like, don't flatter yourself dude, your daughter isn't *that* hot."
However, a thing that hasn't changed about Monkey either was his inability to not say witty lines.
"Yeah, I'm sure they're sexier when *you*'re the one who kidnaps them."
"I'll just say this: the women I kidnapped in the past were of better taste."
"Sure, that's not degrading at all." he rolled his eyes. "I'm sure they'd take it as a compliment."
"You'd be surprised!" he pointed at him. "I'm sure some actually do."
Monkey shuddered and gagged.
"Boy am I glad I'm not a woman."
"Hey, that's how me and Chyou met."
"What?"

"Yeah, I tried dating every woman in this town but none of them were up to standards-"
"More like they escaped or were rescued just in time."
"And so!" he pressed. "She was the only one left, and I was wary at first 'cause she had a pretty nasty reputation. Like she was evil or something, so I was like 'yeah I'm not touching that'. And *then* one day, *she* comes to *me*, all pissed off and she's like 'how come I'm the only woman in this town you didn't kidnap huh?! What's wrong with me!'"
He paused, expecting a shocked reaction that'd mirror his, but Monkey just raised an eyebrow. He continued.
"I didn't know what to say and she just invited herself in. And I was like 'ma'am, people are gonna be mad at me again if you don't leave' but she was like 'oh don't worry, no one will notice if I'm gone'. And like at first I didn't think much of it, but now I think about it and I realize how sad that whole situation was." he sighed. "Anyway I kicked her out. But then after that she'd come again and again - she was a real weirdo - and it pissed me off a lot. But then I realized 'well you know what, it's not like I have a lot of company' so I let her in and we chatted, next thing I knew she came every week, next thing I knew she came every day..." his gaze wandered as a smile formed on his face, he sighed. "Next thing I knew, she stayed."

"You are...so delusional."
Bajie stopped walking and glared at him, genuinely offended.
"Like, you already were before, but this is next level." Monkey chuckled. "To think someone would voluntarily spend time with you. Wow."
"How would you know? You weren't there!"
"And where *was* I exactly Pigsy?"
They glared at each-other for a moment.
"I'm not delusional. We loved each-other and even got a child together."
"If that's the case then that woman must really be crazy. Heh, now I kinda wish I could meet her, I've never met anyone with standards that low."
"Hey! Don't you talk bad about Chyou!"
"Or maybe she really did think you were a nice guy, you do have a thing for the stupid ones."
Bajie clenched his fists, enraged.

"If there's an idiot here, it's your friend."
"What." Monkey's gaze became darker.
"Yeah! She took the blame for a complete stranger, and is putting her very life on the line, even Master wasn't that gullible, she's the stupid one!"
"Say that again." Monkey pointed his staff at him. "I dare you."
"Oh did that strike a nerve? See it's not funny when someone disrespect your girl!" he took a fighting stand. "Now take back what you said!"
"You first."
"Just because you're mad about being stuck for a hundred years doesn't give you the right to be mad at me for moving on and getting a life!"
Like most times, Bajie immediately regretted what he said as Monkey dashed towards him and was about to swing his staff across his face when out of nowhere, a giant rhinoceros demon woman ran over him, propelling his body away. Monkey stood there with a blank expression, caught off guard.
"Huh?" was all he said.

"D-Daiyu?!" Bajie said as he clumsily stood up.
"Zhu Bajie! I've found you at last!"
"One of your old flames?" Monkey asked.
"Ew! No!!!" they both exclaimed, half-joking.
"You'll finally pay for what you did!"
"That was ninety years ago! Why are you still mad about that?!"
"You thought you could marry my grandma so you could leave with the inheritance money and get away with it?! Well guess what, she survived that heart attack! And she got back with my grandad, all your web of lies crumbled and they found out that you indirectly caused their divorce so you could marry her!"
"Geez dude." Monkey shook his head.
"So she wrote you out of her will and now you're just a thief! I volunteered to track you down, give back the money you stole!"
"I spent it all, obviously!"
"Well then," she took out an axe. "you'll pay with your life!"

As Daiyu charged at him, he prepared himself to dodge, although 'dodge' turned more into 'running away' with each step she took. Suddenly, Monkey jumped in between them and stopped her with just on hand on her head.
"As much as I sympathize," he said. "and as much as I wish for a world without this guy."
"Hey!"
"I need to bring him back alive. You can have him after we're done though."
The rhino demon stepped back and huffed.
"My family has been financially suffering for ninety years because of him, I will not wait any longer!"
She dashed again, targeting him this time. With an uninterested look, Monkey swiftly dodged and hit her neck with one clean move, knocking her out instantly. Bajie stood there for a moment.
"Is she...Is she dead?"
"So you wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of your actions? Not a chance."
"You...saved me."
"Hey. Don't turn this into a 'me saving you' thing! It's a 'me making sure (Y/n) gets out of jail' thing!"
"Oh is it?"
Monkey glared at him.
"Yes! Now move your ass!"

.
(Y/n)'s jail cell had a little window to the outside. On the other side, Wuneng sat beside it so they could talk, which she was very thankful for because, though she wouldn't admit it, she didn't want to be alone right now.
"You said 'death isn't the end'." Wuneng said at some points. "What does that mean?"
"Well, when you die, only your physical form ends. And it helps your soul and mind uh, I guess reach enlightenment and get to the real reality that's out there."
"The real reality?"
"Right."
"What's it like?"
"Uh... I don't know."
"Oh."
"But I'm sure Tripitaka would know. From what I read it's like..." she looked at the book in her hands. "like the whole truth of the universe opening up to you. Something like that."
"The truth?" he repeated, looking up at the sky.
"Yeah." she nodded to herself. "Yeah that's it."
"What truth?"
"Well I don't know yet, only those who reach enlightenment know. It's beyond what our tiny brains can comprehend."
"Hey speak for yourself! My brain's giant!"
She laughed.
"You already figured out the truth of the universe?"
"Yeah! I figured it out when I was like seven!"
"So what is it then?"

"...Those who reach enlightenment went beyond the earth and became stars. And Buddha, because he's the most enlightened, became the sun, and he helps us see the world."
She laughed again.
"That's a nice way of looking at it."
"But I don't get why other people want to join them, stars never move and we already have enough of those, and the sun's all alone up there. Must be lonely."
"I guess they wouldn't mind, like that stuff doesn't matter to them anymore. Since you know they...they got it."
"Got what?"
"...I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out."
There was a moment of silence, during which (Y/n) mindlessly flipped the pages.
"I hope dad comes back soon."
"...Yeah, me too." she said as she stopped at one page.
The one with the sutra of last resort written of it.
'...No, I trust Monkey.' she lightly shook her head and closed the book. 'I'll wait until the very last second.'

.
With the demon fox's house in the distance, Monkey climbed up a tree to get a visual of the area.
'For such a large domain, there's no one around.' he thought. 'Bit weird if you ask me.'
He heard whining and glanced back to see Bajie struggling to join him.
"Broth-uh, Wukong! Status?"
"Nothin'." he hopped down, landing on his feet, just as Bajie reached the branch he was on, making him whine. "Coast's clear, let's go."
'Whatever, let's get this over with.'
From what he told him, the fox demon lived alone, so Monkey believed this would be a breath. Because of course it would be. Standing in front of the door, he turned around.

"You're not gonna knock?"
"Uh, you do it."
"What, you scared?"
"Pfff no! It's just that, I mean, you're *the* Sun Wukong, he'll be way more intimidated with you than with me."
"So if I knock and he opens the door, you won't use me as a shield right?"
"Of course not!"
"Right..."
He rolled his eyes and knocked. A short while later, the door was opened by a nine-tailed fox demon, looked to be a few decades younger than Bajie.
"Hello, how may I-"
"Admit it asshole, you framed me!"
Monkey groaned, feeling Bajie using him as a shield and taking the opportunity to open his big mouth yet again.
'He really hasn't change huh.'

"Huh?" the fox demon leaned to the side. "Pigsy is that you?"
"Yeah!" he went closer to Monkey's back. "I almost went to jail because of you! And now they're gonna execute me if I don't prove my innocence! Give back the girl!"
"Oh my," he covered his mouth. "I didn't know that!"
"So you do have the girl?" Monkey raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, but I promise you I didn't know my good friend would get involved, let alone accused of this." he walked away and gestured them to follow. "Come in, I'll go get her for you."
"Oh! My dear friend, how happy I am to see that someone finally understand my situation!" Bajie gladly followed him with a big smile.
"Pigsy wait-" Monkey said but was cut off by the door slamming shut as soon as he stepped inside.

He rolled his eyes and groaned before kicking it open and walking into a large room. The fox demon was towering over Bajie after he threw his body on the ground, too weak to fight him.
"You come back, after abandoning me decades ago, just to throw me in jail?! Because I am of use now to you?!"
"I-I can explain-"
"No need, your intensions are very clear!"
"So to get this straight:" Monkey said, pretty casual about the whole situation. "You *do* have the girl, that wasn't just a trick?"
"Exactly!" he faced him. "I spent decades building this house, and I'm gonna fill it with my personal harem full of hot women!"
"Eww, you sound like Pigsy."
"Where do you think I got the idea from? I'm gonna finish what we started!"
As he said that, eight of his tails popped out of his body and turned into duplicates of him.
"Wha-You didn't tell me he could do that!" Monkey exclaimed at Bajie.
"What?! Just duplicate too it's not a big deal!"
"Have you forgotten?! My powers are sealed away! I only got three of them back!"
"Only three?! Well maybe you should get to it faster then! What are you waiting for?!"
"I'm gonna kill you!" he sent him dagger as he began fighting the duplicates. "Once (Y/n) is out of jail it's on sight Pigsy! On sight!"
"Not yet." the original fox demon, who hasn't moved from his spot, said. "I need to set things straight with him first."

"H-hey man, listen-"
"No *you* listen!" he suddenly leaned closer. "We used to be partners in crimes, bounding over our shared love for hot women. But then as soon as we were found out, you threw me under the carriage and ran off! After years of prison I go look for you and I come to find out you started a family and were living happily ever after! Do you know how betrayed I felt?!"
"Woah, you too?!" Monkey exclaimed as he punched one of the duplicates in the face.
"And when I confronted you about it," he continued. "you just shrugged it off and pushed me away! You didn't even say sorry!"
"Alright I'm sorry okay?! I'm sorry!" Bajie bursted out. "I'm sorry I pushed all the blame on you! I'm sorry for stealing from Daiyu's family! I'm sorry for all the creeping and the kidnapping!"
"Hey what about me huh?!" Monkey asked. "Where's my apology?!"
Bajie took a long moment to think.
"No."
Monkey stopped, went up to the original fox demon and pushed him away so hard he hit the wall, creating a crater. He faced Bajie with a terrifying expression.
"No?" he slowly repeated.

"No." Bajie stood up, looking more sure of himself. "I am sorry for making you feel betrayed and abandoned. I am sorry about that. But I will not apologize for starting a new life, for trying to turn over a new leaf, and I will *not* apologize for having a child and for doing my best to be a good father to him! I will not act as if I regret any of this, because I don't!"
Monkey said nothing and just kept looking at him with piercing unblinking eyes. Bajie became more and more nervous.
"You...Y-You can be mad all you want!" he continued, though now his hands and bottom lip were shaking. "Nothing you'll say will make me change my mind!"
As he said that he noticed four of the demon's duplicates running over to him, but Monkey didn't turn around. They were getting dangerously close by the second.
"I changed my mind I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!!!" he shielded himself just as they jumped in the air.
Without looking Monkey swung his staff, hitting all four of them and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He turned to face them, cracking his neck.
"Go save the girl."
"What?" Bajie asked in a little voice.
"You'd only slow me down if you fight, go!"

From the corner of his eyes, Monkey watched him leave the room to go search the house for the girl. He faced the fight again and noticed that the detached tails remained and that after a short while the duplicates reformed. He clicked his tongue, this was gonna take a while. Meanwhile, Bajie would've probably gotten lost in this giant house if it wasn't for the girl endlessly banging on the door of the room she was trapped in. He broke the door down with his rake. The girl screamed when she saw that her savior was the infamous pig demon she heard so much about.
"Please don't shout, we gotta go!" he grabbed her hand.
"Leave me alone you creep!!!" she pushed him away and ran off.
"W-Wait! I gotta..." he panted as he tried to catch up with her. "I gotta take you home! You'll get lost if-!"
But she didn't listen, she just kept running, and soon she was out of sight. Bajie eventually reached the room where Monkey was. He was alone.
"Where..." Bajie stopped and hunched over, his hands on his knees. "Where is she?"
"The fox took her and ran away!"
"What?! We gotta catch 'em quick!"

Monkey followed Bajie throughout the forest, looking for the missing woman and demon. But it was to no avail, if it wasn't for their sense of direction and the fact that Monkey could turn into a bird, they'd probably be lost too. At some point, Bajie was getting tired, so they stopped and he sat under a tree. They noticed that the sun was starting to set, making the sky slowly turn a warm orange.
"Without proof, I doubt the humans will believe us if we return empty handed and say the fox did it."
Bajie said nothing, he looked down and let out a heavy sigh.
"The sun will be down soon. What will you do?"
He looked at him, perplexed.
"I'm giving you a choice." Monkey leaned agaisnt the tree. "It's up to you."
Bajie looked down again.

.
"It's time miss." the guard said as he opened the cell's door, two other guards behind him.
"It's been fun knowing you lady." Wuneng said before he left to go back home.
(Y/n) gulped and stood up. The guards came in and one of them took her bag and Tripitaka's notebook.
"Hey wait, I need that!"
"Where you're going miss, you won't need it."
"No, you don't understand-!"
She tried reaching for it, but they restrained her arms.
"Miss." the one in front of her said. "We don't wanna add more violence to this. Please cooperate."
Her heart dropped, she opened her mouth but couldn't make any sound. Her mind was racing as they escorted her to her execution.
'This is it! I'm gonna die! No, stay calm (Y/n), death isn't the end remember? This is fine. It's fine!' she took a deep shaky breath and tried to keep her composure. 'Still, this means Golden Cicada's powers will be lost forever. We'll never get the sacred sutras! Well, maybe you don't *need* them to go to the west. Right? I don't know! It was never established! I...I'm sure Guan Yin would know, but then I will never get to ask her!'
The feeling of something cold on her neck snapped her out of her thought. She realized she was now kneeling in front of a stone in the courthouse's courtyard, and they placed her head on it. There weren't a lot of people there, just the mayor and officials whose jobs it was to be here. No one wanted to watch an innocent woman die. They made sure the back of her neck was in clear view, so that the guy with the axe next to the stone wouldn't miss.
"Some people wanna do the right thing," he said to himself as he prepared his axe. "so much that sometimes, they end up being more stupid than kind. Morale of this execution is: always check the track record of someone before doing them a favor, 'cause they could stab you in the back." he lifted his axe. "Or in the neck, indirectly, in this case."
(Y/n) wanted to scream, but her voice was caught in her throat.
"Stop!!!"

Everyone froze and looked over to see Bajie running over, panting, with Monkey behind him. Although when Bajie stopped, he kept going, pushed the guy with the axe away, and quickly freed (Y/n) from her handcuffs. They hugged as soon as they were removed, sighing with great relief.
"You're back!" she said, letting go of him, and looked around. "Where...Where is she?"
Monkey looked at Bajie, she looked at him too. He just shook his head, his eyebrow furrowed.
"But then..."
"Thank you miss." Bajie smiled, although he was shaking and clearly putting up a cheerful front. "Thank you for giving me a chance to make my case."
Monkey placed a hand on her shoulder and gently moved her out of the way. Bajie took her place.
"Please, Wukong?" he looked at him, his eyes watery. "Find the girl, and take care of Wuneng for me. I know you're good with kids."
"No..." she whispered and tugged on Monkey's tunic. "Can't we do anything?"
No response, he just kept looking, frowning slightly. Bajie took a deep breath before he kneeled and placed his head onto the stone. (Y/n) looked away, burying her face in Monkey's chest. The axe was raised, the axe swung down and everyone gasped. (Y/n) opened her eyes, Monkey was gone. She turned around to see him blocking the axe with just the tips of his fingers. While everyone looked shock, he actually looked pretty bummed out.

"Broth- Wukong?"
He slowly inhaled.
"Stop~." he exhaled.
"Why do you look so unwilling to save me?! Screw you!"
He just sighed and moved the axe away.
"I'll go get the girl..." he dragged his feet away. "Be right back. Don't kill anyone while I'm gone!"
Confused, but intrigued, the town's chief sent a few soldiers with him. Together they went back in the fox's house and came back with the girl and the fox demon, tied up and with only one tail left. The girl happily reunited with her father while the fox demon was sent to jail.

"Wait! Why isn't *he* getting executed?!" Bajie pointed at him.
"Well as far as proven, this is the only crime he committed in this town." a guard said. "We're not gonna execute him over that."
"Haha, suck it!" the fox demon smirked.
Bajie scoffed and turned towards our two protagonists.
"Can you believe that?!"
"So they were in the house this whole time?" (Y/n) asked Monkey.
"Oh come on!"
"Yeah," Monkey nodded. "I defeated the fox and put him in a closet. As for the girl, she did pass by and asked for directions because the house was so big. And I kinda gave her the wrong one so that she'd get lost."

"Why?!" Bajie exclaimed. "Why did you do that?! Waiting for me to almost die!"
"'Cause it would've been a hilarious prank, but you went ahead and made it all sad and stuff." he rolled his eyes, waving a hand. "Thanks for ruining my fun dude."
"Oh I'm sorry! I'm sorry me finally acting mature ruined your..."
"Mmh?" he looked at him.
"It wasn't a prank was it? It was a test! I *did* make my case, to *you*!" he pointed at him with a big smile. "That's why you gave me a choice! You didn't think I'd come back did you?! Well I did! I did change!"
"What are you talking about?" he frowned.
"And you're mad about it because I proved you wrong!"
"Monkey?! Proven wrong!" (Y/n) gasped, smiling and trying not to giggle. "No way!"
"Not you too!" Monkey exclaimed.
"Yes way! Ooo~ he mad~! Look at him!" he poked him a bunch.
Monkey groaned, grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away.
"Aoaoaoaow I'm sorry I'm sorry!"
"Let's get you home already!"
"Yeah, Wuneng must be worried sick." (Y/n) said as she walked beside him.

"Ah, by the way." he looked back at the mayor. "Pigsy has to be given compensation for being falsely accused and for almost being executed. Don't give the money to him though, give it to a rhino demon named Daiyu. She should be passing by soon enough."
"Oh wow! That's a great idea Wukong!" Bajie said as they walked back to his house (while still being dragged by the ear). "You're so smart and strong and everybody loves you. You gotta be careful with this guy," he pointed at him while looking at (Y/n). "he's such a handsome devil, he could be the Emperor of Heaven if he really wanted to."
"Would you shut up already?" Monkey tugged on his ear, making him whine. "Compliments don't mean anything coming from you."
(Y/n) chuckled. But when she heard Monkey snif, she looked at him and her eyes widen.
"Monkey! Are you okay?" she asked concerned.
"I'm good."
"Huh? What's up with him?" Bajie asked, not able to see his face.
"I just realized," he said. "I'm glad you're not dead bro."
Bajie's eyes widen, tears building up in them.
"Br...Brother!" he began crying, covering his eyes with his forearm.
(Y/n) smiled, her eyebrow furrowed. The rest of the walk was silent, with only Bajie's happy sobs and Monkey occasionally sniffing.

"Dad!!!" Wuneng ran to hug him once they were back at his house. "You saved the girl!"
"Well, it was a team effort." he chuckled. "It's getting late, let's eat dinner and get you to bed."
"What are you saying?" Monkey wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him closer with a big smile. "The night's still young bro! Let's go out and party! Like old times!"
Bajie's eyes lit up when he mentioned 'party'. He wrapped his own arm around Monkey's neck.
"Let's go brother!"
"You guys have fun," (Y/n) said. "I'll babysit Wuneng."
"What?! Come on~ come with us!"
"Wuneng can take care of himself, he's a big boy."
"That's right! I'm a big boy!"
"Okay let's go!"
"Didn't take much to convince her huh?"
"Party~!" her and Monkey exclaimed.

.
Together, the three of them went downtown to the nearest tavern.
"Like old times? You guys partied during a pilgrimage?" (Y/n) asked as they sat down.
"Sometimes while Master would meditate and go to sleep early, we'd go out and party." Bajie said and him and Monkey burst out laughing.
Once they were served, they played some drinking games together, and progressively got drunk. (Y/n) and Bajie seemed to have a similar tolerance for alcohol.
"Can you believe they put that guy to jail when I almost got executed?!" he slammed his fist on the table. "He just as guilty as me!"
"You were proven innocent." Monkey said, looking the most lucid as always.
"Honestly, I'm glad they didn't kill him." (Y/n) sighed. "Nobody died today."
"Really? What happened to death not being real?" he raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a slight smirk.
"Oh it was real alright!" with a pale face, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer, their nose almost touching. "It was very very real!"
Monkey couldn't help but laugh. The party continued, and it got wilder. The two old friends were reconnecting and (Y/n) was just happy to be along for the ride. She also helped Bajie hold Monkey back when he got into an argument with someone.

"You drank my drink!" the guy said, held back by his friends himself.
"You weren't even touching it! You didn't deserve to drink it!"
"Go to hell!"
"I did! I kicked the Ten Kings' asses and then came back!"
"Monkey please~!" (Y/n) said. "Just say sorry!"
"Bro come on," the guy's friend told him. "he's a demon, it wouldn't be a smart move to mess with him."
The guy shook his friends off, finally calming down. He huffed and walked away. (Y/n) sighed and let go of Monkey.
"Whatever, I don't get in fights I know I'm gonna win. A monkey, a pig and a girl? What a circus of losers!"
"What'chu said?!" (Y/n) exclaimed, this time it was her turn to be held back. "Get over here we'll see who the loser is!"
"Yeah that's right!" Monkey exclaimed, pointing at her. "You're talking to the girl who trash-talked the Emperor of Heaven to his face!"
"These guys are crazy bro, let's get out of here."
"Yeah you better run!"
"Go cry about it to your mom!"
"Next time you'll think twice about talking bad about my friends!"
"Guys they're already gone!" Bajie exclaimed.

Our two protagonists eventually calmed down and sat back at their table.
"You can't just fight people like that," Bajie said. "I just escaped trouble, I don't wanna get accused of being an accomplice!"
"Zhu Bajie! I know you're here somewhere!"
They looked over to see Daiyu stomping in. She spotted her target and went up to their table.
"Nevermind!" he hid under the table. "Don't let her hurt me!"
Monkey grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back up as she slammed her hands on the table.
"What?!" Bajie said, acting like he never intended to hide in the first place. "You got your money back didn't you?!"
"I still demand an apology!"
"I said I was sorry!"
"She wasn't there when you said that bro."
"Oh shoot!"
In the end, Bajie apologized and payed for her dinner (which she ate by herself). Before she left she told him she hated his guts, that she wished to never see his face again, and that if he approached her grandma again she'd definitely kill him.
"Haha! What a mood!" Monkey laughed.
"Grandma...?" (Y/n) mumbled, confused.

.
The party continued. she was the first one to fall asleep, but the two sworn brothers kept going until it was closing hour. They didn't want to leave of course so they were kicked out. Thankfully Bajie had a few bottles at his place so they went there, Monkey carrying (Y/n) on his back.
"How did the owner's screams not wake her up?!" Bajie asked on the way back.
"Oh she is the heaviest sleeper I've ever seen in my entire life! Check this out!"
He threw her in the air, safely caught her in his arms and yelled right in her face. She just hummed and rolled her head.
"See?"
"You didn't have to do that! I trusted you the first time!"
Monkey just cackled. The chaotic level of this party decreased once they walked in the house, they didn't want to wake Wuneng up. After putting (Y/n) to bed, they sat by the broken table and Bajie served the two of them a drink.The two of them kept chatting until the middle of the night, talking about all they went through together and as individuals.

"Why don't you come with us bro? It's be like old times! Monkey and Pigsy, iconic dynamic duo!"
Bajie chuckled.
"Unlike you brother, I age. I'm an old man now, I can't go on adventures anymore, I can't leave my son alone. Plus I've gotten used to the quiet life now."
Monkey sighed, understanding.
"And besides, I wouldn't want to butt in and ruin whatever you two have going on."
"What do you mean?"
"Dude." he raised an eyebrow, as if the answer was obvious.
And indeed it was. Monkey cleared his throat and took a sip of his drink.

"...I've discovered some stuff recently." he said. "I...I had feelings for Master."
"Oh I know."
"What?!"
"We all knew. It was so obvious."
"What do you mean?!"
"You were always so dedicated to him, never wanting to leave his side."
"He was my master, and he'd get kidnapped all the time! Of course I'd be concerned."
"You once broke into tears because you were so happy he was safe."
"It was a long exhausting day and I got emotional."
"That one time, you said- And I quote! 'Damn this thoroughly ill-behaved monster. I'm protecting the Tang Priest while he works for the true achievement. How dare they plot to eat my man?'." he paused. "*My man*."
"...I don't speak in such a dumb way." he mumbled, his cheeks dusted in pink. "And the fact that you remember something I said a hundred years ago is weird. Weirdo." he took another sip. "And that was a mere slip of the tongue by the way! Nothing more!"

"It's no big deal brother. I'm just happy you finally realized it, although a little too late..." he trailed off and slightly shook his head, not wanting to talk about sad things. "And besides, you seem to have found someone new." he nudged him and wiggled his eyebrows.
Monkey pursued his lips, humming and avoiding his gaze.
"What's with the long face?"
"(Y/n) is... I..."
"You have feelings for her, it's just as obvious."
"But I'm conflicted."
"Conflicted?" he blinked, confused.
"Yes! Because here's the thing:" he faced him and leaned closer with an intense expression, his cheeks slightly red. "What if I like her just because she has Master's powers?"
Bajie frowned, even more confused.
"But...they're two completely different people."
"I know that!"
"When you look at her, do you see Master?"
"'Course not! But like-" he exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "She still has his powers and sometimes her eyes turn cyan and his eyes were cyan, so who know?!"

Bajie was a bit taken aback, he's never seen Monkey talk so openly about his feelings before, let alone be panicked over them.
'He really did also change huh.'
He folded his arms and thought for a moment, slightly swaying his head from side to side.
"Maybe..." he finally said. "it's not the person that's the same. But it's the intensity of your feelings for them that is similar."
Monkey's expression fell, he looked at him with big eyes. Seeing the look on his face, Bajie snickered.
"Hey!" Monkey eventually frowned again. "Where did you get all this wisdom from?! When did that happen?!"
"Wisdom is what you get when you become an old man. It comes with the beard." he stroked his beard while sending him a mocking look. "You're always young and dumb, you can never get some wisdom."
"Screw you dude!" he punched him in the arm. "I got fur! I'm wiser than any of you!"

They laughed together. Once they finally decided to go to sleep, Monkey walked back into the guest room. Though before going to his bed, he stopped by (Y/n)'s and sat down on the floor to look at her. She was snoring lightly. When he had trouble sleeping because of his fear of the dark, hearing her would help him, it'd remind him that he wasn't alone.
'You are not alone, just like I'm not alone either.' he remembered her saying. 'You're not trapped in that mountain anymore, there will always be light somewhere.' he remembered she meant it literally but...
"...You're my light." he whispered.

.
The next morning, (Y/n), Monkey, Bajie and Wuneng went to town to buy a new table.
"We broke it," she said when they found one they liked. "let us pay for it."
"Nonsense." Bajie shook his head. "You've done so much for us, I'll pay for it."
"Or~ you know." Monkey stared at the shop owner. "These two poor and innocent individuals almost *died* not long ago. With no concrete proof that they were guilty. My poor friend here raised his son by himself for many years while suffering from the people's prejudices against him. *And~* he didn't even get the compensation money!"
"Alright alright! Take the table, geez!"
"Thank you sir~!" (Y/n) and Wuneng waved as they all left, Monkey taking the table with one hand.
"You know, that was a good trick." Bajie stroke his beard, a mischievous grin forming on his face. "I think I might use it agai-"
"Don't." Monkey cut him off with a stern voice.
He gulped. Once they replaced old table and decorated the new one, a nice and fun activity, it was time to say goodbye. Wuneng hugged (Y/n), apologizing for disrespecting her, and Monkey and Bajie gave each-other a big brotherly hug.

.
"Pigsy was way nicer than I thought." (Y/n) smiled as she and Monkey went back to their journey. "That was fun-"
"(Y/n)!"
"Aaah!" she jumped in surprised and turned around. "What?"
Monkey just stared at her for a moment, he's been waiting to be far away enough to say it. He didn't want anyone to hear. He blushed.
"I love you!"
(Y/n)'s expression fell, her bag slipped down and fell on the ground. Her face got redder and redder by the second.
"Wha-You-Ho-Huh?!?!?!" she exclaimed.
"I have for a while now," he bashfully scratched the back of his head. "but I was conflicted about some stuff, I wasn't sure. But I had time to think and..." he sighed and looked back at her. "I love you. And now we can be together."
(Y/n) scoffed, a bit too much, smiling.
"Wha- pfff! Wh-What makes you think I wanna be with you?!"
"(Y/n) please~," he waved a hand. "it's painfully obvious than you love me too."
She kept freaking out for a while, unable to say a complete word.

"I-It doesn't matter!" she eventually said. "I don't want to be with you!"
He frowned, his eyes narrowed, trying to think of a reason why she wouldn't want to be with *the* Sun Wukong.
"Why not?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"I...I have a lot on my mind right now." she explained as she picked up her bag. "I don't want a relationship on top of that, that'd just be...too much to handle."
Monkey looked at the bag and noticed Tripitaka's notebook pocking out. His eyes narrowed slightly, but then he sighed.
"Alright, you're not ready. That's okay, I can wait."
(Y/n) sighed, relieved.
"I just have to ask for this one thing." he leaned closer to her. "Accept my feelings."
"What?"
"I'm not asking you to reciprocate them, because I get that you're not ready for that. But I did just confessed to you so I need you to acknowledge my feelings and to accept them. Because from now on, I do not intend on hiding them."
The genuinity of his word and of his expression made her heart beat like a drum.
"If you don't accept them, I won't do it though, I'd hate to make you uncomfortable- And I'm not gonna be mad!" he leaned back and pointed at her. "But I am gonna be very upset. So, (Y/n)," he leaned closer again. "do you accept my feelings?"
There was a moment of silence, during which they just looked into each-other's eyes.
"...I do." she quietly said.

Monkey's face lit up with happiness, he let out a heartfelt laugh.
"Guan Yin's island here we come! Let's go~!!!" he hopped away.
(Y/n) stood there for a moment, completely dumbfounded. Eventually, she pinched herself.
'That was real?! That really just happened?!' she thought. 'Hold on, maybe if I pinched harder!'
"Aow." she said under her breath.
'Maybe try again!'
"Aow!" she kept doing that as she walked.
'It can't be! Try again!'
"(Y/n) stop pinching yourself!" Monkey exclaimed. "This is real alright! Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, just confessed to you! Yet another medal you can proudly wear!" he said with a smug smile.
She just groaned and covered her red face with her hands. She was very overwhelmed at this moment, not sure what to think of it. But she supposed she felt...happy to know that's how he felt about her. She kept covering her face, this time hiding her smile.