The shadow monkey sat atop the tallest peak of Flower Fruit. A small cliff outstretched from its main body, making the perfect vantage point to gaze at the sunset. A nostalgic view that stirred up good memories—and bad memories—within Macaque's mind. It was an activity they enjoyed together, watching the sun close out the day. Then it was an activity he was forced to partake alone. 

Sun Wukong. Living on the mountain with him again has been less than stellar. They could barely go two days without fighting. Well, Macaque did most of the fighting and yelling while Wukong continuously took his lumps. The golden monkey transformed into a whipped dog, taking all the blame and apologizing for everything, even when Macaque believed himself to be in the wrong. How pathetic. The whole ordeal with Lady Bone Demon squeezed every last once of dignity out of the King. It was almost a pitiful sight. Almost.

It's been about a month and no progress seemed to happen between the two. Despite everything, they both wanted each other to remain on the mountain. Each of them holds out hope that there's a light at the end of this shadowy tunnel. Maybe it was time to accept the inevitable. The sun and the moon were always destined to be worlds apart.

"Enjoying the view?" Macaque was yanked out of his thoughts by Wukong's sudden voice.

"Despite Flower Fruit's size, you still can't help but be in the same place as me." Macaque returned to gazing at the orange-yellow orb disappearing past the horizon.

"Hey, this is my spot too." Wukong plopped himself a foot away from the shadow monkey. "Don't worry, I'm not here to annoy you. Certain thoughts keep circling my mind and I thought…I should share them with you."

"I doubt anything you have to say is worth listening too," Macaque muttered under his breath, but still loud enough for the King to hear.

"Maybe, maybe not. But you don't have to respond…Just listen, ok?" Silence. "Um, I guess I'll just say it. It's all still jumbled in my head though." Wukong expected a slight snark or retort, but Macaque just continued staring at the sun. "Well, I've been thinking about how difficult everything has become and about how I've acted through every trial. What I've put MK through. What I've put you through. How I'm supposed to fix everything. And I'm not saying that I won't fix everything," he added frantically, "I'm definitely gonna keep my promise." Wukong tried to reassure Macaque, but it didn't seem like he was paying him any mind at all. 

Still, Wukong continued. "I always thought of myself as part of a circle, and as long as everyone and everything I cared about was in it, I couldn't care less about what the world thought of me. You, the monkeys, Flower Fruit, the Pilgrims, MK. You're all important to me…and yet I burned those bridges so easily. I can't count how many times I've left you to watch over the mountain by yourself. A King that kept forsaking his kingdom. How my trouble kept putting you guys in danger. The Pilgrims, my traveling companions, they've all passed on without me, because I couldn't stomach the thought of never being a part of this world anymore. You. You were by my side since the beginning, Mac. And always there when I needed you. But where was I? I was too stuck in my own head to see the pain I was causing you. And MK…I thrusted all my responsibilities onto that kid, and almost got him killed." A tightening ache twisted in Wukong's chest. 

"Maybe my circle has always been just me. And despite my attempts to leave the door wide open, it always ends up slamming in the face of anyone who dares to care about me. Maybe it should remain closed, so I never get the chance of disappointing someone again." Saying these things out loud really was different than thinking them. Reflecting on the words he just spouted forced his gaze low, as if all that transpired over the last year and all his mistakes were sitting atop his head and at any moment he could crumble into the dirt. Wukong took another quick glance at Macaque, whose expression remained unchanged. Wukong started to think the warm sunset placed him in a trance. 

"Being around these humans have really softened me up, huh? Don't remember my emotions being this high all the time. But back then, when I was down, I knew I could always come to you. Even when you didn't have a solution, you listened to whatever was on my mind." Wukong paused. "You always listened. I could always just be Sun Wukong with you. Though, when you did have advice for me, I would completely take the wrong idea and get myself into trouble," Wukong chuckled. "Luckily, you were always there to bail me out." A soft smile appeared on Wukong's face. "Those were good times, weren't they?" Silence. "Mac?" The shadow monkey was a stone statue. Maybe Wukong was just talking to himself.

"I…I can't help but feel that, despite the demons' recent evildoings, I'm the one who ended up causing the most harm."

"The size of your ego is insurmountable," Macaque finally said, causing Wukong to jump in place. "DBK and Spider Queen tried to take over the world, and Lady Bone Demon tried to destroy it. But somehow a good-for-nothing jerk like you is the greatest offender?"

Wukong stared in disbelief. Macaque, whose piercing gaze constantly held hate and contempt towards him, was now more of annoyance and anger. Was Macaque…defending him somehow?

"But…everything is my fault. Things got worse and worse because of me. If I had stepped in and thought things through—. At every single opportunity, I just let everyone down. Everything would've been lost. I…I have to take responsibility for this."

"You can't see yourself as the greatest hero anymore, so you've decided to claim the title of greatest villain?"

"No, I…Why are you…?" 

The setting sun had finally surrendered to the rising moon. And while Wukong failed to collect his words, Macaque rose up and headed towards the main mountain. Wukong watched the shadow monkey walk away, head still jumbled and confused. Then Macaque stopped.

"Oh, and how's this for advice? You don't want to be alone in your circle? You want to fix everything? Then maybe start by actually being there for your friends. Or is that too much to ask of the Great Sage?" With that, Macaque's figure descended down the mountainside.

Wukong turned to face the starry night sky, his brain replaying Macaque's words, trying to make sense of it all. He wasn’t ready to let go of all the blame. But, amidst the confusion, he was sure of one thing.

After his battle with Sun Wukong, Macaque is unexpectedly thrust into an unfamiliar void. A place intent on tearing him down and devouring his soul. How he got there? A certain possibility shatters his heart, yet sharpens his vengeful resolve.

Title: Grasp Light From Shadows

Working Synopsis: After fighting countless demons and enduring a perilous journey, Megapolis is once again at peace. And the mysteries surrounding Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque's fateful battle have been unraveled. Now, Wukong is eager to make amends with his oldest friend, and heal their broken friendship. Macaque, on the hand, is skeptical about the future Wukong holds for them, and isn't ready to let go of the anger that has festered for centuries. This is the story of two brothers trying to reclaim the pieces of a once unbreakable bond.

Never thought I'd publish fanfiction but I really liked the story I came up with. I think I have about 5 arcs planned. First is called the Growing Pains Arc. And I'm planning on posting a chapter from it on here. As a sort of preview.

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: LEGO Monkie Kid Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liu Er Mihou | Six-eared Macaque & Sun Wukong | Monkey King, Liu Er Mihou | Six-eared Macaque & Qi Xiaotian | MK, Qi Xiaotian | MK & Sun Wukong | Monkey King, Liu er Mihou | Six-eared Macaque & Qi Xiaotian | MK & Sun Wukong | Monkey King Characters: Liu Er Mihou | Six-eared Macaque, Sun Wukong | Monkey King, Qi Xiaotian | MK Additional Tags: Trauma, Forgiveness, Brotherly Angst, Mentors, Redemption, Self-Hatred, Loneliness Summary: