By now, (Y/n) understood the rules fairly well, still she was no match for the rock-paper-scissors-Flower Fruit Mountain style Master. The score: twenty-five to two.
"Best out of thirty?" she asked.
"Just admit I won already."
"Okay okay, one last time and whoever wins this one wins it all."
"Fine."
"1, 2, 3-Seal!"
(Y/n) pressed one of the paper seals on Monkey's chest, making him fall on the ground mid-walk with a grunt. She laughed.
"You cheater!" he glared up at her. "Get this off me!"
"Sorry, sorry." she crouched and removed it. "It was too funny not to do."
"Oh I'll show you funny when I tie you to my staff and leave you hanging!" he sat up.
"Oop can't have that." she put it back on his chest and was ready to laugh again.
But to their surprise, the seal didn't work.

"Huh?" she tilted her head.
"Figured." Monkey said as he removed it himself and looked at it. "Powerful seals like these can't be used all the time. These must be one-use only."
"Oh, shouldn't use them wildly then."
He nodded before slowly turning his head towards her.
"Monkey. Come on, what did I just say?"
He smirked. (Y/n) quickly stood up and backed away while he took his time.
"Monkey?"
He didn't say anything, she gulped.

Hanging on the end of Monkey's staff by the back of her collar while he supported the other end on his shoulder, she blew on the paper seal placed in the middle of her forehead and blocking half of her face. The bottom lifted for a second before slowly going down again.
"When are you going to let me go?!" she asked, lightly bouncing around with every step he took. "I said you won!"
"Just wanna make sure you understand how it feels."
"It feels weird~, like I don't have arms or legs anymore!"
"Oh my lord! Demon!"

The two of them looked to the side where a rice field was. An old man stood in the middle of it, along with other farmers, and pointed at them with a shaky finger.
"Don't worry!" Monkey exclaimed, waving his hand and smiling. "She deserved it, just a friendly argument between friends!"
"It's fine! Don't worry I'm okay!" (Y/n) added.
Still a bit weirded out by the view, the farmers calmed down and went back to work, though they still followed them with their eyes.
'Wait.' (Y/n) realized. 'Did he just say we were friends?!'
She glanced back at him. She couldn't tell if he was serious or if he just said it so the farmer calmed down. She decided not to ask, thinking he'd probably laugh at her if she even asked, whatever his answer would be.

After a while, during which Monkey finally removed the paper seal, the two of them reach a village. The sun was setting so they went to the local inn for dinner, but unfortunately, there was no room left. They asked around but no one had one available for them. (Y/n) sighed in disappointment. Although she was now used to sleeping outside, she would still much rather sleep on an actual bed.
"Oh well." Monkey shrugged, not really bothered by this issue. "We'll just set camp here." he gestured to the marketplace they were walking through, now empty.
"Camp? I don't think starting a fire is allowed in places like these."
"Well then let's get out of here."
"Why? I'd rather stay safe within walls, even if I'll get cold."
"Nonsense." he pushed her towards the village's exit. "You'll freeze to death outside without a fire."
"On a summer night? I'll be fine."
But he ignored her.

Since they were surrounded by fields of all sorts, they set camp right in the middle of a road between two wheat fields. Which (Y/n) thought was ridiculous but Monkey insisted on it, since he obviously couldn't start a fire in the middle of the fields.
"What if a carriage passes by?" she asked as he started the fire.
"I'll just tell them to buzz off. You go to sleep already, it's getting late."
It was dark by now, and it made her think of how agitated he got at the thought of being locked up in a dark dungeon. It would explain why he was so eager to have a fire beside him while he slept.
Something in her mind clicked.
"Say," she said as she set up her blanket, using her bag as a pillow. "do you sleep?"
"'Course I sleep."
"Okay, let me rephrase that." she looked at him, his back facing her. "When do you sleep?"

He didn't spoke for a moment and turned towards her.
"Why do you ask?"
"I've never seen you go to sleep. And when you wake up, it's as if you haven't slept at all."
"Pfff!" he waved his hand and walked around the fire to sit across from her. "I'm just a heavy sleeper, what do you want from me?"
"Not only that, but whenever we sleep outside, there's still a flame left of the fire when I wake up."
"I'm really good at fire."
"Monkey..." she tilted her head. "Are you scared of the dark and you stay awake until the sun comes up?"
He pursued his lips and frowned.
"Don't be ridiculous! Go to sleep already!"
"You first!" she folded her arms.
"Are we really doing this? Are you really gonna turn this into a game?"
"It's not a game. It's me making sure you get a good amount of rest." she said. "You're gonna go to sleep, the fire will eventually extinguish itself, and when you wake up you'll be all refreshed."
"...Okay." he stuck his staff on the ground so that it stood vertically and he could press his back on it. "I'll play along." he looked at her with a smirk.
"Oh it's on."
They glared at each-other.

It's been an hour and (Y/n) felt exhausted. Monkey on the other hand has been staring at the stars this entire time, not even fazed. Of course he'd make sure the fire was still lit, which only confirmed her theory.
"It's to make sure you can see, with your poor human sight you'd be blind without it!" he glared at her when she pointed it out.
"Sure." she said with a voice full of sarcasm.
To keep herself up, she thought about all the crazy things that have been happening to her ever since she left her little village. She sighed, better not think about the village she thought, she didn't want to get too homesick. She instead thought about the people she met, like that weird quizz show host that was so dedicate to his job he stayed put and explained the rules at the demon that was chasing after her. Meilin, sweet Meilin, (Y/n) was certain she was doing well now. And the boys, those sweet trouble-making boys, even their father put a smile on her face as she thought of his naivety.

She slightly frowned, something in her mind clicked again.
"Say," she looked at Monkey. "the king we met earlier..."
"Mmh?"
"He said you stole from his grandfather?"
"Yep. Tripitaka did not like it when he found out." he rubbed his forehead where his crown was.
"And he was pretty old. That would mean..." she thought. "The last time you've been there was like a century ago."
"Huh, maybe." he shrugged. "Like I said, I stopped counting after, what, thirty years?"
"Thirty years?!"
"What?"
"Monkey, I'm twenty."
"Okay? Good for you."
"No! That's not what I mean!" she looked down, her eyes wide. "I mean that there were other reincarnations of Golden Cicada before me."

"Oh."
"That doesn't surprise you?"
"Meh." he shrugged again. "Makes sense actually."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, Tripitaka would be in danger 24/7. Because of his eyes, his powers and even the fancy clothes he had, he was the target of demons and humans everywhere and they could see him coming a mile away." he glanced at her. "Now I don't know what's the deal with your eyes, but I'm willing to bet the one - or ones - before you didn't have that disguise. And if you are another reincarnation, that would mean they passed their powers onto someone else." he looked back at the sky, smiling. "I get it. Without someone like me to protect them, they wouldn't stand a chance, they probably knew it too and gave up on their powers. Or maybe they died and it was their last resort, or maybe they just didn't want that baggage, we'll never know."

"...damn." she quietly said. "Wait a minute. If I am the target of demons everywhere, then isn't it just a bad idea to have a fire lit all night?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb with me! A fire would just attract attention, especially in a place like this!" she gestured around them, where even the village had no lights on during the night, unlike towns and cities.
"There's no demon here, chill."
"Maybe not now, but there sure could be later!"
"I'm on high alert, they can come at me if they dare."
"Your lack of sleep is making you stupid."
"Hey! I am as sharp as ever!" without looking away, he grabbed something between his thumb and index and showed it to her. "See?! I just grabbed this bug and I didn't even had to look!" he said before releasing it.
"What-ever dude."

They were silent for a while. By now (Y/n) found difficulty keeping her eyes opened every time she blinked. She stood up, thinking a bit of exercise would keep her awake. She began to pace around the fire as Monkey followed her with his eyes.
"You'll just get sick if you keep spinning like this."
"Yeah." she stopped and looked around. "Maybe I'll go for a stroll."
"At night? In this darkness? Bad idea." a smile formed on his face, he sat up and picked up his staff before placing in on the ground. "Why don't you try and lift it?" he gestured towards it.
"You think I'm stupid? We both know very well it's impossible for me to do that."
"Actually," he lifted his index. "it's not just about strength. If you are near as powerful as me, you could lift it. And you are technically Golden Cicada former disciple of Buddha."
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his words.
"I'm just sayin'. Plus it'd be a good way to pass time." he shrugged, still smiling.
Not changing her suspecting stare, she walked towards the staff. She looked down at it for a moment before crouching down. She picked one end of the staff and tried to lift it, putting her strength into her knees. Unsurprisingly, it didn't move an inch. (Y/n)'s face became red as Monkey tried not to laugh. At some point she stoped, panting.

"Okay wait." she sat down cross-legged. "Wait wait."
She sat straight and closed her eyes, moving her hands up and down as she breathed slowly.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm meditating to try and channel my chi." she explained, keeping her eyes closed. "Maybe my powers will peak again."
He laughed.
"Do you even know how to meditate?!"
"I've seen others do it. But I admit I never properly learned myself."
"I can tell. It's more than just sitting down and breathing."
"Have you ever meditated?"
"'Course, when I trained to practice the Tao."
"Could you teach me?" she leaned closer with a spark in her eyes.
"...sure."
"Wait for real?!" she exclaimed, not expecting that answer.
"Sure. Place your hands like this." he formed a small circle with his hands.
She mimicked the way he did it.
"Close your eyes." she closed them. "Relax..." he spoke in a softer voice. "And just breathe..."

And she did, she relaxed her muscles and the warm heat of the fire made her feel comfortable... She suddenly opened her eyes again and glared at Monkey who started laughing.
"You're just trying to make me feel sleepy!" she picked up a small rock and threw it at him, she missed.
"You are sleepy." he smirked as she went back so sit on her spot. "I can tell by this horrible throw and the bags that are starting to form under your eyes."
"How come *you* don't have bags?!"
"Because I'm amazing duh!" he said as he picked up his staff and stuck it vertically again.
She rolled her eyes.

She fixed the fire for a while, her chin placed on her knees and she hugged her legs. The light shining right in her face seemed to help keeping her awake.
"Say," she said. "how was Tripitaka?"
He frowned and looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Like, what kind of guy was he?"
His gaze wandered for a bit, not finding an answer.
"If you could describe him in one word, what would it be?"
"Gullible."
She couldn't help but laugh at his immediate and blunt respond, and the fatigue made it extra funny.
"Really?"
"Yeah, like *the* most gullible guy I've ever seen in my life!" he sat up and faced her, getting worked up. "He *knows* I'm the demon expert, yet he still believes everyone but *me* when it comes to demons in disguise! Like seriously?! You believe Pigsy's stupid theories when I'm over here spitting fact?!" he huffed. "At least he's also gullible enough to take me back every time he banishes me from the group."

She smiled and noticed his eyebrows furrowed for a brief moment.
"You miss him though, right?"
He looked away.
"When you're trapped for a century, you get used to it." he said.
"...I can kinda understand the feeling of being trapped. But I can't say I've felt alone."
"'Felt'?" he suddenly looked at her, pissed off. "There's no feelings here (Y/n). I *was* trapped. I *was* alone. And no human with such a short lifespan can ever say that they understand how it feels to be in my shoes!"
"I-I'm sorry." she said in a small voice.
"We both experienced mourning, that's nice and all. But I bet my peaches you weren't surrounded by total darkness, not knowing where your friends were and being completely powerless, not being able to prevent their death when you've been the one who saved them all every single time they were in danger. It was my one and only failure and look where it brought me!" he opened his arms. "And now every night feels as if I'm back in that stupid crystal! And no way in hell or heaven above am I going to allow myself to feel this *weak* ever again!" he pressed on this word like it was the most repulsive thing he's ever said.
He then realized he got carried away and turned around, pressing his shoulder on his staff. None of them said anything for a while. (Y/n) pressed a hand on her chest, her heart was still racing from a mix of shock and guilt.

"...At least you're not alone anymore."
He glanced back at her.
"Yeah right." he angrily mumbled before turning back around.
She felt a pain in her chest at his answer and squeezed her legs. She sighed sadly and laid down, ready to give up and sleep. Just then she heard a faint buzz. She sat back up and saw a bug flying around her, she started waving her hand towards it to make it go away but stopped when it passed by her face, allowing her too see it up close. Her eyes widen and she frantically looked around with narrowed eyes.

Monkey was ready to stay angry at (Y/n) until she begged for forgiveness the next day when he heard noises behind him. He turned around to see her searching for something in her bag, she seemed to be in a hurry.
"What are you doing now?" he asked, exasperated.
But she ignored him. Eventually, she took out a wooden bowl she'd use when eating on the road and stood up. Then she ran away.
"Hey!" Monkey called out.
He was about to run after her but then he saw her stop by a nearby rice field and crouched down to fill the bowl with water. Then she came back and spilled the water on the fire, putting it out.
"The hell?!" Monkey stood up and watched as she then kicked around one of the wheat field. "What is your proble-?!" he stopped himself as little lights started to lit up from the field and all around them as they gently floated in the air.

(Y/n) looked back at him.
"It wasn't a bug," she said. "it was a firefly. Now you don't need a fire anymore." she looked up. "And look." he followed her gaze. "The stars look much brighter now."
Indeed, not only could they now see even more of them than before, they could also see the blue light of space in the sky.
"I know it's hard to not feel the way you felt for a whole century." he looked at her as they faced each-other. "I don't expect you to heal from it just like that." she smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. "But Monkey, I want you to understand: You're not trapped in that mountain anymore, there will always be light somewhere, even in the dead of night. And you are not alone, just like I'm not alone either, I..." she looked away, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "I consider you my friend you know?"

He blinked twice. For a brief moment, he was at a lose for words. Emphasis on 'a brief moment'. He burst out laughing.
"Oh man." he sighed, still smiling. "Did you have to say something so embarrassing?"
"But it's true!"
"Eh~ more like we went from 'I hate your guts' to 'I tolerate you now'."
"Oh come on!" she said as the two of them sat back down. "I thought our rock paper scissors tournament brought us closer!"
"So you're like my rock paper scissors pal. To be honest, it's a higher rank than most people have had before. So wear it like a medal."
"...Are you still angry?"
"Nah~ being angry is tiring anyway."
She smiled, glad to see this casual look of superiority on his face again.

Just then, the wind blew and (Y/n) shivered, rubbing her arms.
"Um..." she blushed lightly. "Could we start a fire again?"
Monkey laughed.
"Sure." he said as he picked up what he needed.
"But wait, Monkey?"
He looked at her.
"Could you... Could you promise me you'll try to get some rest?"
He smiled softly and sighed.
"I promise."
She smiled. He lit another fire, but this one was much smaller than before.

(Y/n) was asleep by now but Monkey simply couldn't sleep, he was too used to staying up, habits die hard hard after all. Because the flame was smaller, he could still see the fireflies. And after a while when the little fire went out, he didn't try to revive it. Instead he looked at the quiet light show of nature before him, the night sky shining a dark blue light onto the world around him. It was the first time in a long while he's seen fireflies, he forgot how shiny they were. He followed one as it landed on (Y/n)'s nose and she almost swallowed it. He chuckled and laid down.
He faced the lit up sky and closed his eyes, hearing nothing at first, which made him uneasy. But he forced himself to not open his eyes, and as the seconds passed, he started hearing the gentle wind, the rustling in the wheat fields, the faint buzz of the bugs around him, and (Y/n) snoring and moving in her sleep.
He felt more at ease that night, and he kept his eyes closed.