This was fun.

Tang and him swapped stories, interests, and random facts they'd learned. Wukong felt lighter, more free. It was obvious now Tang and his master were completely different people. The scholar was funny, and energetic. He and Wukong also moved their hands the same way, rotating their wrists excitedly as they talked over each other.

Yeah...this was fun.

Two bowls were suddenly placed before them, startling Wukong... Which caused him to fall off of his stool.

Laughter rose from the group as he scrambled back on, "Aha, my bad." He sheepishly waved at Pigsy, "Sorry." The pig snorted, "Quit apologizin' for everythin'. Eat up, these are the best noodles in all of China!" Wukong smiled as he cradled the warm bowl of food, "...I bet it is."

His stomach churned as if it hadn't eaten in centuries, and he realized with a start it was some-what true.

Ah. That's right, I've been eating fruit and magic hair up until now. Fun.

The king ate, trying not to inhale the meal. The chatter around him ceased suddenly, causing him to pause. Wukong sat up, alert, "What? What's wrong-?" His mind raced, trying to remember anything unusual. DBK is the only threat so far, maybe a smaller demon?

"Nothing's up, other than you DESTROYING those noodles!" Mei grinned, whooping. MK clapped his hands, "I knew you'd like them!" Wukong bashfully slouched again, "Oh. Uh, yeah... They're amazing. Best noodles in my whole life." Pigsy smirked pridefully, "Oh? Really now?" Sandy offered the king tea, holding it out, "Tea, Mr.King?"

Wukong watched the steam rise and grimaced, "...I prefer iced tea. I don't do warm or hot foods." Oh shit, what if they think I just don't care about his tea?! AND THEN I NEVER GET TO HAVE HIS TEA EVER AGAIN NOOO--

He suddenly stiffened, throwing up his hands, "But I would love to try your tea, honest!" Tang hummed, "Is it because of..?" Wukong nodded, "Yep. Torture-y stuff and, uh, stuff. Yeah." MK pondered silently, "...Is that why you went ham on those noodles like a starving man?" The monkey facepalmed mentally.

"Nah, I'm fine--"

Time slowed down, backtracking bit by bit as the lie left his mouth. Wukong panicked as it went back long enough to have erased his response from existence. He tried not to appear too nervous as he gave a more honest answer, "No, bud. It's because I am a starving man. But a monkey."

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, causing him to squirm. He slowly resumed his eating, feeling oddly nervous as Pigsy stared him down. I should've kept my mouth shut and accepted Sandy's tea. I knew going here so soon was a bad idea! Wukong, you idiot, you KNOW you overshare! AUGH WHY AM I LIKE THIS NOW I JUST RUINED THE MOOD. BUT THEN I WOULD'VE HAD TO RESTART!

A hooved hand suddenly landed on his head, causing the monkey to flinch in surprise. Warmth erupted from the touch, and Wukong barely suppressed a shiver. The chef huffed, "Starving, huh? Explain. And speak up if you want seconds." Wukong nearly whined as Pigsy removed his hand.

He needed to tell them about himself, right? But he was a stranger. Wukong didn't have the right to tell them anything they wouldn't care about, after all, he wasn't their friend. Not before, not really; And especially not now that they've just met.

...The way everyone was staring at him told him they weren't gonna drop it, however. That's something he admired about them sometimes. They cared. Even if they didn't have to, they wanted to know how to help. How to make the hurt go away.

He's glad he can witness their raw kindness once again before he'd butchered it.

Wukong stirred the broth, "Uhm. Y'know, life really does stuff to a guy. Heh. Like never ever leaving his house, or only eating magic hair and fruit, or hoarding a lot of stuff."

He hesitated, "...Y'know, cause any guy does that. Super normal."

Wukong didn't meet their stares and stood up, "WELP. I've overstayed, so I should head back home. Thanks for the food and stories. But I gotta go, uh. Make sure the monkeys didn't catapult my cushions or--"

Mei pushed him down, "Nuh uh! We gotta feed you real food. Look how small you are, dude!"

Wukong had been...fairly thin when his adventures with MK had begun. But then he found himself binge eating constantly with each training session, and it didn't help he began going to the city. He'd stocked unnecessary amounts of junk food, and by the time they'd defeated Azure he was rounder.

And honestly a lot happier with his body. He preferred being soft and round than thin and achy. He'd felt healthier.

And now I have to do it all over again.

Sadness washed over him as he placed a palm against his flat stomach, "...Yeah, I know." The dragon girl grimaced, "Oh, dude I didn't mean it like that! We'll just make you nice and pudgy soon enough!" Hope blossomed in his chest at the thought of healthily speeding up his past progress, "...Thanks. That's very nice of you, Mei."

Sandy suddenly placed a cool cup of tea into his hands, "Oh, thanks, Sandy." The giant beamed, "Of course!" Wukong eagerly sipped it, melting in place as the drink swirled around in his mouth, "This is great." Sandy smiled warmly at the praise.

The king suddenly hummed, "Say, do you have a bunch of plants? For making tea, or do you just buy it?"

---

Turns out Sandy had a bunch of plants and items for tea making.

At one point, Pigsy had joined the conversation and was telling stories of his journey within the culinary world. His mom sounded nice.

Wukong yawned softly, glancing out the window and noticing the time, "Oh, it's time for me to go. Thank you for everything, I'll be here to pick up MK for some training tomorrow after his shift." Mei huffed, "Nuh uh, monkey man! You can just hang out with Sandy and me, then MK and I can go train with you."

Tang gave her a look, "What? I wanna train, too! And fight bad guys!"

Wukong hummed, thinking it over, "Alright. I have a feeling I know your weapon of choice." Mei beamed as MK crashed into her, "WE CAN TRAIN TOGETHER! Think Monkey King'll give you a weapon?!" The duo jumped in place excitedly as the monkey headed outside, "I'll be here late morning. Bye."

"Bye, Monkey King!" He flew away, feeling lighter than ever before.

---

"Sandy, uh, help..?"

Therapy cats had swarmed the depressed monkey as soon as he got on the boat with Mei. Well, she was mostly taking pictures. His point still stands.

"Sorry, Mr.King!" Sandy carefully removed the cats with Mei until Wukong wasn't drowning in cuteness. Mei squinted her eyes suspiciously, "Are you sad, Monkey King? Cause that's why they swarm." Wukong blinked owlishly.

He had been kept up at night, plagued by nightmares. Nightmares filled with his mistakes, and with the group from his 'past life' angrily scolding him for restarting it all. Wukong had tried to fight back, to explain he didn't have a choice. He'd even promised to be better for them now.

"Excuses, just like always... I keep trusting you, again and again. Why are you so adamant on ruining our lives."

His 'past successor' had marked his words into the king's mind, plaguing him until it was time for him to meet Mei in front of the noodle shop. And he'd made sure not to enter, he couldn't stomach anything today.

"Uhm. A bit?"

Sandy frowned, "Now, Mr.Monkey King. You shouldn't downplay how you truly feel. That isn't healthy." Mei subtly pointed out his eyebags, pouting her lips. Wukong traced the underside of his eyes and winced, "I don't wanna ruin the mood, okay?"

He glanced up at Sandy, "Can we maybe go see those tea plants of yours?" Mei beamed, "Oh! Oh! Can we make tea?" Sandy slowly looked away from the monkey and nodded, "Of course. Come on!"

---

Wukong pocketed the tea he'd created, feeling a lot happier, "Alright. C'mon, Mei, it's time to go fetch MK." He summoned his cloud, waiting patiently as Mei hopped onto his fluffy ride, "Bye, Sandy!" The giant waved goodbye as they flew forward.

"Soooo... How do you know when to pick up MK?" Wukong flushed, "Uh. I kinda checked with my Gold Vision." It was a bit of a white lie. I mean, he can't really tell Mei he knew because this wasn't the first time he'd fetched him for training after work.

"Oh, neat!" She hung on to him, recording their flight, "This is so cool!" Wukong grinned, "If you hang on tight enough I'll do a trick." Mei's hold tightened as she grabbed her phone carefully, "Ready!" The king leaned harshly, causing them to roll along the sky in a loop.

Mei screamed with dizzy joy as he stopped, descending in front of Pigsy's Noodles, "So, how was it?" Mei stumbled off, bouncing around with messy hair, "THAT WAS SO COOL!" She grabbed his arm, shoving him inside, "I'VE GOTTA SHOW MK THE VIDEO!" Wukong panicked as the excited girl sat him down.

Pigsy wordlessly slid him a bowl of dumplings, eyeing him, "Have you eaten at all today?" Wukong pouted, glancing at Tang. The scholar hummed, "He can tell. I don't know how, but he can." The monkey grimaced, "Ah. Uhm, no... I haven't." The pig nudged the bowl, "Eat at least half of them, and then you can go."

MK plopped down beside his mentor, "Can you fly me on your cloud too?! Mei showed me and it looks so cool!" Wukong chewed quickly, "Mhm, jus' make sure you two hang on really tightly." He shoved another dumpling in his mouth, trying to get through them.

They were delicious, really! But he didn't feel like eating today. And he needed to train Mei and MK!

Pigsy hummed, "Careful, don't throw them off." Wukong paused, panic setting in as he sat up, "No! No, of course not! I'd throw myself off and save them, promise!" A memory flashed, 'You're supposed to be his mentor!'

Wukong swallowed roughly, "I'm their mentor. I'll do anything I can to make sure they aren't harmed while under my care."

The chef blinked in surprise, "I was just teasin', Monkey King. I trust you'll keep them in one piece, and I'd rather ya don't throw yourself off of your cloud." Wukong parted his lips in surprise before pushing his empty bowl away, "Uh, I'll pay you back. I have some treasure somewhere I--"

The chef held up his hand, "Nope. You can eat on the house, just keep the kids safe." Tang gawked, "And why do you charge me, then?!" Pigsy clicked his tongue, "'Cause you, Tang, are a freeloader." The scholar faked hurt, "Oh, you wound me!" Wukong snorted, stumbling off of his stool, "Well, time for us to go. Uh, thank you and bye."

The duo waved as Wukong and the hyperactive students walked outside.

The monkey created a large cloud, fluffing it up before sitting down, "Alright, climb aboard!" MK and Mei scrambled on, clutching onto him tightly in anticipation, "We're ready!" Wukong wrapped his tail around them for extra security before blasting off, causing the duo to scream.

He barreled in loops, spinning them in large circles over the city.

MK gasped, "Woah!" Mei and Wukong shared his sentiment as they flew over the ocean. It was sparkling, reflecting them as they flew over the deep blue waves, "Man, I miss this view." Mei hummed, "I would too. If I had a cloud, I'd fly all the time!" Wukong snorted as MK agreed.

---

Monkeys surrounded the trio as they landed, hopping onto their king and his students.

"Hi! Oh, hello!" MK cooed, letting them examine his hair as Mei took countless pictures. Wukong nodded along to the chirps and chitters, "They're MK and Mei, and I will be training them, alright?" The monkeys jumped back onto the trees surrounding them, leaving their king to lead his students onto a cliffside.

"Alright, Mei, I believe a sword best suits you." He blew on some hair, transforming it into a blunt sword, "Before doing anything too rowdy, we need to start off with the basics!" Mei took the practice sword, beaming with excitement as she held it high, showing it to her best friend, "AW, YEAH!"

MK took out his staff, "Okay, so what now?! How to swing our weapons? Cool moves?" Wukong hummed, taking a bamboo stick into his hands, "Stances. In order to use your weapon and not look like a clutz, you need to know how to move with it."

The duo promptly groaned in disappointment.

---

"Great job, you two! You'll be doing super cool moves in no time." He glanced at the sky, "Hm, it's time to get you two back to Pigsy. Come on."

Mei and MK sat up and bounced from the ground, suddenly no longer exhausted from training, "Cloud time!" They sat down excitedly on the fluffy ride as Wukong adjusted his hold, "Okay, but no tricks this time. It's getting dark and I don't wanna get carried away and crash into a building."

The view was still as beautiful as ever.

Wukong glanced at his student's eyes, taking in their awe. He wished he'd taken the time to do this before. At least I'm able to make them happy now. I owe it to them.

They arrived at Pigsy's, and like last time, the pig presented Wukong with a meal. The king stayed and talked with the group, feeling lighter than ever until night fell and it was time to go home.

---

Nightmares.

Nothing but daunting whispers of destiny and fate. Of death and pain. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide. Despite restarting he couldn't escape. He was bound to doom them all. MK screamed, "I keep trusting you, again and again. Why are you so adamant on ruining our lives."

The boy stared him down. "You are a weapon, all you do is hurt and kill." The king shook his head, "I'll fix it!" MK shook his head, rotting as he stood, "No, you can't." His skin fell off in patches as he stumbled towards Wukong, his hands outstretched, "You can never right your wrongs."

He sat up, panting. Tears stained his cheeks and snot smeared along his cheek as sweat caused his hair to stick to him. The crickets outside were still singing, and the moon was still out. He was the only one distressed on this peaceful mountain night.

I guess sleep is off the table tonight, too.

But it was worth it if it meant keeping him on track in order to keep everyone safe. It was only fair. It was the least he could do.

It was what he owed after everything he'd done.