#phoenixeclipse

“Pirates!!” Sandy shouted from the crows nest and Tang whipped his head around to look at the incoming ship.

“Damnit! Get these kids below deck,” Pigsy yelled picking both MK and Mei by the backs of their shirts and shoved them into Tang’s hands.

He quickly ran to the doorway dragging the two stowaways below the deck. He couldn’t believe this was happening. First Ao Lie’s granddaughter snuck aboard with her friend. And now pirates, ‘fuck!’ He knew what ship that was too.

‘The brotherhood.’

Gulping down his nerves he rushed to the Captain’s Quarters and set the two down.

“You two need to stay here okay?” He asked slowly hoping the two six year olds.

Unfortunately that was the wrong thing to say to these particular children. Because as soon as MK heard the word pirate he squealed in excitement. Mei followed quickly after as she jumped up and down.

“PIRATES!? Can we see them? Can we!?” They asked in unison both sounding ecstatic.

“What!? No, no! That is dangerous, they could hurt you,” Tang shouted kneeling down to calm the excited children.

The children of course didn’t listen, MK adjusted his hoodie and Mei straightened her shirt before they bolted to the door. Tang had to jump in front of the two and lift them up quickly before they reached it. This proved to be ineffective when MK gripped his shoulder and jumped over him, Mei following shortly after.

“Wait!” He shouted after them.

>>><<< 

Above deck everyone was running around trying to find weapons and prepare defenses. There was no telling if The Brotherhood would decide to attack or board the ship. They were definitely not strong enough to stop them either was. All they could do was hope they made it out of this alive, not just for their sake but for the sake of the two kids who snuck aboard.

Everyone was tense with Tang below deck taking care of the children they hoped there wouldn’t be any suspicious behavior. The Brotherhood wasn’t known for hunting children but the crew wouldn’t put it past them.

Pigsy barely had time to react before the wood of the deck suddenly splintered and cracked below Sun Wukong’s feet. Everything went still, he rolled on his feet until he stood up from her crouched position. A teeth bared grin spread across his face his eyes glinting with malice.

“Well, well, well what do we have here?” He asked slowly casually walking forward his hands behind his head.

“Captain Monkey King, w-what an honor,” Sandy spoke up first with a slight bow, they needed to keep him calm and happy. The kids couldn’t even swim yet.

“What is that I hear? One of you know who I am, then that means you know where you are. So would you care to explain what you’re doing in my territory?” He had a feral smile across his face as he spoke with a voice filled with malice.

“We are very sorry! We were merely passing through,” Pigsy apologized giving a deep bow as well.

When his eyes landed on the ground he froze. Below him he saw dark purple glowing eyes watching him from his shadow. The shadows around him swirled before shooting out towards Sun Wukong and forming another Monkey right next to him. The wide smirk across his face was menacing and made him even more fearful than he already was about the situation.

“Hmm, is that so?” The Monkey King asked as his shadow silently watched the scene ahead of them.

Another figure jumped onto the ship causing it to rock even more, knocking several people down. The Monkey Kings and the new figure were the only ones who hadn’t fallen, as soon as the group saw who it was they gulped. Not only the monkey kings but Azure Lion was also standing on their ship and clearly had no intention of leaving.

“Y-Yes, we are heading to do some trading is all,” Pigsy said as he scrambled to his feet.

None of them noticed the two children who were peeking out from below deck, both looking at the pirates who were on the ship. Their eyes twinkled with excitement, though the longer they stayed their Xaiotian slowly got more and more nervous with what was going on. He slowly gulped as he glanced at Mei who was looking at the pirates with an excited expression.

“Trading. Without getting our permission first? That’s a very courageous move on your part,” Sun Wukong laughed as he took a few steps forward, his head held high while he walked as if he owned the ship.

“I am so very sorry, please don’t hurt us,” Pigsy begged as he bowed for a minute, sweat beading on his brow.

“Hmm~ What to do, what to do,” Sun Wukong smirked, clearly enjoying the fear that he instilled within the crew before him.

“Captain, we were going to ‘meet up’ with that spider crew, remember?” Azure spoke up his pink eyes narrowing as he attempted to get his attention back on track.

“Ugh, you just want to ruin all of my fun don’t you Azure,” Sun Wukong groaned loudly as he rolled his eyes.

Pigsy felt a shard of hope at those words. Maybe they would leave without anyone getting hurt. He could only hope as his mind wandered to the two kids that had stowed away on his ship, yet again. They would be fine, he would make sure of that because if he didn’t he would face hell from not only Phoenix but also the entirety of the Dragon Clan. He wasn’t sure which one he deemed as worse.

“We’ll just have to make this quick then,” As Sun Wukong spoke, Pigsy could feel the hope in his chest snap in an instant.

Macaque stood silently behind them, watching and listening to everything around them. His ears fluttered when he heard boards creaking in a distinctive way, there were more people on the ship. Turning his head he looked over to the door that lead below deck and caught sight of the two sets of eyes that looked around the corner. He raised a brow, they were children nothing but young children.

One had black hair with bright green horns and, green streaks in her hair. While the other was wearing a large hoodie that covered most of his face, but he caught sight of the gold of his eyes that came into view for barely a second. Suddenly the two were pulled back under the deck with quiet squeals that were barely audible.

“Xiaotian, Mei, stay away from there. Those pirates are dangerous,” A fearful and quiet voice scowled at the children.

Macaque was curious but turned his head back to his mate and the crew. He didn’t care weather they lived or died in fact he had the urge to tear them to shreds but he held back. There was no need for bloodshed, though he wouldn’t mind it. They were on a tight schedule as Azure had stated before.

“My Sun please make this quick, Azure is correct about needing to leave soon,” He spoke up for the first time causing his mate to turn his head and look at him to give him a smirk.

“Of course, my love~,” He purred in response.

“Stay away from our Captain!” Sandy shouted running in front of Pigsy and standing as a human or rather river demon shield, causing the Monkey King to glare at him before the glare turned into a psychotic smile.

“May I Captain?” Azure spoke up proudly summoning his sword.

“Fine,” Wukong agreed catching the crew before them off guard. Why would he let someone else have his kill? They didn’t understand it. But that wasn’t what they needed to worry about.

Azure stood there with a smile as his blade glistened in the sunlight. Sandy stood his ground eyes never leaving the blade, except for one second to look at the monkeys. Sun Wukong had cuddled up to his shadow, so that was why he allowed it.

Now Sandy wasn’t one to fight a lot but he wouldn’t allow someone to attack his captain. He would not allow for this demon to attack his friends, his family and get away with it as if it were nothing to him. As much as she was sure that was true, he would defend his family, he would not back down even if it was the death of him.

Azure was swift in his movements as he brought the blade down to attack the river demon. The blow was blocked by Sandy’s large neckless that send the lion a few feet back. The two traded blows, or rather Azure dealt blows while Sandy blocked them. He didn’t want this to turn into a full-blown fight, he needed to find a way for them to leave. There were kids on board the ship.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY UNCLE!!” A young girl’s voice suddenly cut through the air.

“MEI NO!” Tang’s voice immediately followed as a flash of green collided with Azure Lion’s arm.

The Lion Demon didn’t get hurt, he didn’t even flinch as he grabbed the back of the young dragon girl’s shirt and held her up in front of him. He was more confused then anything else. His eyes widened when he saw the bright green eyes that stared back at him, a green dragon’s tail and green dragon horns on her head.

“Mei what are you doing!?” Pigsy shouted going to run forward but froze as Azure looked at them with a dark glare.

“Well, well, well what do we have here?” Sun Wukong asked, his attention grabbed when he saw the young child yelling and shrieking as she tried to get out of the lion’s grip.

“It’s one of the children that I saw earlier,” Macaque muttered almost silently, no one heard him too focused on the girl.

His gaze shot back towards the door when there was a crash and a flash of gold slammed into the lion’s arm this time causing him to shout and let go of the girl. The blow threw his arm to one side. He quickly turned his head to look at the attacker and froze as the hood fell off of the kid’s head.  

Everyone on the ship froze, it was almost silent aside from the waves slowly hitting the side of the ship and the yelling of the children. Because there attached to Azure’s arm by his teeth was a young monkey cub. Not just any monkey cub, but a six eared and golden eyed cub. Dark brown fur covered his body and a tail wrapped around the lion’s arm as he bit his teeth into the flesh. The bite did nothing to him but he froze in shock, he had no idea what to do about the cub. He couldn’t have been over three, at least based off of his size but demons were known to stay in different stages of life for pretty long periods of time.

“…” Both Macaque and Sun Wukong were speechless as they stared at the cub who shared so many similarities with them. Not only were his eyes golden but he had the same aura as Sun Wukong. Not only did he have six beautiful ears like Macaque but his shadow pulsed with his anger just like his did. Both monkeys knew then and there that this was their kid, he was theirs, no matter what anyone else said.

Azure was the first to speak. “Um, Captain? What do I do with this one?” He asked slowly, trying not to jostle the cub knowing that his Captain would not act kindly to this cub getting hurt.

“Qi Xiaotian let go of him and come here,” Pigsy said speaking up only to get slammed against the wall of the higher deck.

“What did you just say?” Monkey King’s eyes glowed brighter as he glared at the pig, holding him by the throat. What was this man doing with HIS CUB.

“Let Pigsy go!” The boy finally spoke, muffled by his teeth still in the lion.

Macaque was the only one who understood him. He walked towards the cub slowly as Peng and Yellow Tusk suddenly landed aboard the ship because they were taking too long. Sandy was pinned down by Peng and Yellow Tusk held back the human who was yelling at him to stay away from the cubs. Of course, The Brotherhood didn’t listen to any of them.

Macaque’s eyes were glued on the child as he walked up to him. Azure turned to allow better access to him. Even with his six ears he didn’t register the shouts of the crew as he scooped the cub up into his arms, gently pulling him away from the lion. With a little difficulty he pulled the cub into his arms and his eyes watered ever so slightly as he was stared at with eyes that looked identical to his mate’s before the Heist with the Navy.

The cub struggled in his arms but Macaque didn’t care. He was so small, so weak, so defenseless, yet he held so much potential and in his tiny hands Macaque already knew that he held so much control over him. His attention was only shifted when he noticed the slightly older child gripping at his leg. The dragon girl, she was trying to protect her friend, how sweet. His son deserves a loyal friend.

“My Moon, he’s perfect,” Sun Wukong said as he walked up and gently patted the cub on the head. He must have knocked out the pig, with a flutter of his ears he knew that the pig was still alive.

“Let me go,” His son growled trying to wiggle free before he let out a few chirps.

Of course, neither monkey did that, they only chirped back at the boy in their arms. Azure suddenly picked up the dragon girl and looked at her as she struggled in his grip, glaring harshly at him. He gave her a warm smile; she was only a child even if she was apart of the dragon clan.

“What do we do with this one?” He asked turning to his Captain.

“We’ll take them both,” Macaque cut in as he used a shadow clone to pick up the dragon girl. “Love, don’t kill them. They were taking care of our cub after all.”

“But-.”

“We wouldn’t have found him if not for them,” He added.

“Fine,” Sun Wukong groaned dramatically.

Sandy and Tang shouted at them but were too late to do anything as Macaque sunk into his shadow. In an instant him and the cubs were gone, he had gone straight to the brotherhood’s ship. Both of the children were struggling in his arms, but he paid it little mind as he traveled below deck to his and Wukong’s room. He set the two down and smiled when Xiaotian went to punch him, failing miserably.

He would have to remedy his poor attacks, but there was plenty of time for that. With a grin covering his face he knelt down to look at the two in the eyes. Grabbing the girl’s hand that went to punch him, careful not to hurt her.

“Now, let’s get you two some better clothes,” He said looking the two up and down before realizing that they definitely didn’t have any clothes in their sizes. He also couldn’t have his mate use his fur because of how rambunctious these two clearly were. Frowning he pushed that thought aside for later, they could do that later.

“Never mind on that, are you two hungry?” He asked as he watched the kids.

Xiaotian was standing in front of Mei slightly shaking as he looked up at Macaque. He was nervous, there was no need for him to be nervous. Well there was, he was a famous and powerful pirate after all, and he surely didn’t realize that he wasn’t going to hurt him yet.

“I’ll get you two some food, would you like to come with me?” He asked careful not to make any sudden moves.

Both of the children looked at each other before looking back up at Macaque. Both crossed their arms and shook their heads. He was incredibly proud when he saw this, his son was smart not to accept food from strangers. However, he also needed to make sure he eats so this denial could pose a problem.

Before he was able to say anything else the door of the room slammed open and Wukong came jumping in. Immediately he hit his knees and looked Xiaotian at eye level with a wide toothy grin spread across his face. Their cub jumped back in shock breathing heavily as he stared at the two with fear.

“Don’t worry my precious cub. We’re not gonna hurt you, we’re your Dad and your Baba,” Wukong said with a grin, his eyes twinkled happily.

“Nu uh, my dads are the monkey kings,” He immediately pouted crossing his arms catching both of them off guard.

Macaque and Wukong looked at each other for a moment. He knew that they were his parents, but how? He knew that the monkey kings were his dads, that rose so many questions.

“How do you know that bud?” Macaque asked extending out a hand only to have it pushed away by the protective little dragon.

“Hands off my brother!!” Mei growled.

“… We never mated with a dragon, right?” Wukong whispered to Macaque only to get slapped on the back of the head.

“He has my ears you know,” The two looked back at the cubs. Fortunately for Wukong neither of them understood what was said, the dragon girl more than likely not even realizing something was said at all. The two were cuddled together trying to shield each other from the monkey demons.

“Sorry. He’s so cute! He even has… do you think he is her kid? Do you think?” Wukong started as his eyes widened in excitement, his tail thumping against the ground at the thought.

“Hey buddy. Can you tell us who your parents are?” Macaque asked, his own hope sky rocketing. His fur looked just like her hair, and the thought of her being alive sent him so much joy that he couldn’t help but hope.

“Mama and the monkey kings,” He replied confidently causing the two in front of him to nearly facepalm.

“… Okay- Who is your mama?” Wukong asked his eye twitching. He needed this, he needed the confirmation, or he felt like he would go crazy.

“… Mama is mama,” was the response that caused both monkey demons to groan.

Of course he didn’t know, he was much too young. This was okay though, if he was her kid then she would be sure to come find him. For now it was almost time for dinner. As if on que Xiaotian and Mei’s stomach’s growled causing the two above them to chuckle.

“I’ll get some food for you. Hold onto this for me,” Wukong took off his cap and set it onto Xiaotian’s head, which immediately covered his eyes with the size.

“So cute!~” Macaque grinned as he gushed over his cub’s cuteness.

“Hey! Stay away from my brother!!” Mei shouted again waving her hands around but overall unable to do anything. The attack on Azure must have drained all of their energy because both of the children looked as though they were about to fall asleep.

>>><<< 

Unaware to the crew however back in Metropolis Xiaotian’s mother was rushing after Ao Lie as the two flew through the sky. Pigsy’s ship was one of the fastest around because of Sandy who kept everything up to his standards. Which meant fast travels but also meant that it would take a long time before the duo could catch up to them.

“Don’t worry Xiaotian I’m coming,” Phoenix muttered praying that nothing bad would happen while she was away from him. He was much too young to be on his own, what was he thinking stowing aboard a ship like that?

Notes:

- One Year Later -

Phoenix truly didn't know what was going through Guan Yin's mind when she decided to bring her to the Celestial Realm. There was no rhyme or real reason for her to be here, but here she was standing in front of the Jade Palace. At least not yet, Lao Tzu wasn’t back yet. He wouldn’t be for another four days, or years. However long he was going to be gone with this strange time difference.

She walked right behind Guan Yin who floated through the air as she moved along the ground. Moksha walked next to Phoenix his feet clicking against the ground as he looked around seemingly having some thoughts he wished to voice. She was curious as to what they were, from the time she has spent with him she has known him to be rather talkative except for when Guan Yin was in the presence of others.

Phoenix looked out of place next to the two who wore white gowns, with golden embroidery throughout them. Their clothes floated around them due to their powerful auras making both of them looking ethereal.

However Phoenix looked different, her hanfu was a deep red, with golden lining around the edges. Golden flowers were embroidered throughout the bottom of the fabric, roses, lilies, and orchids. Her sleeves billowed around her arms were held up for her hands to hold onto each other. Her hair had grown longer in the time she had been here, now halfway down her back that was braided together with the glamour hair pin in her hair where she had began the braid.

She was the only one of the three very clearly didn’t have a powerful aura, instead of her cloths or hair floating it laid flat against her skin. She gripped the shawl that was wrapped around her tightly as she followed behind the two. She forced herself to hold her head up high with a smile across her face.

For a moment she sped up just until she was next to Guan Yin. A smile played on her face as to cover up her nerves even if they didn’t really vanish.

“Lady Guan Yin,” Phoenix spoke quietly as her eyes darted around the hallway.

“Yes child?”

“What am I here for?” She asked curiously forcing her eyes from the ground.

“You are here to accompany me, it is not often I take on a new maiden and I wished to show you around the Celestial Realm. It is also to allow time to speed up just a bit for you dear,” She replied a warm smile on her face.

“Allow time to speed up for me?” The thought sent warmth through her heart, she wouldn’t have to wait as long to go home.

In the time she had been here she had learned a bit of archery, sword skills, and helped in the gardens. Besides that she has spent time with River and Flare but other than that her life was rather dull here. She longed for nothing more than to go home, go back to her sisters and her mother. She nearly gripped her chest at the thought of going home sooner than she had already accepted.

“Yes child,” The goddess nodded with her ever warm smile.

Phoenix’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and a wide grin spread across her face at the thought of truly going back home. She missed her family dearly and she was sure that they missed her too. Taking a breath she looked around at the hallway walls, or rather the wall on one side to her other side was full of pillars holding up the roof. Out through the pillars was a large court yard.

"You're quiet today," Moksha spoke up quickly catching Phoenix's attention.

"I'm always quiet," she grumbled back.

“Not this quiet, I thought we finally got you used to being around other people,” He replied dramatically. He had one hand pressed to his chest and closed his eyes as he spoke.

Phoenix rolled her eyes at his dramatics, it wasn’’t the first time she’d seen him act like this. But it was a welcome sight to see him relax after a little while of being in the palace, at his relaxed demeanor she soon found herself getting calmer. Her nerves dissipating as he started talking again.

“It’s your first time in the Celestial Realm so I’ll give you a break this time,” He stated as if he was doing her a favor, in a rather joking way.

“Why thank you, I truly have no idea what I would do without your forgiveness,” Phoenix responded just as dramatically.

The two quickly straightened up as soon as they noticed a group of maids walking passed them, even their robes floating as they walked. It made Phoenix feel self conscious about her own lack of power. She shook those thoughts away, she didn’t even need power because she would be leaving this world soon enough.

“Did you hear about the new Bimawen? I heard he’s a monkey,” The words of the maids came back to Phoenix causing her to turn her head, she had heard that word before. What did it mean again?

“Moksha, what is a Bimawen?” She asked curiously.

“The Bimawen is the head of the celestial stables. They take care of all of the horses,” Moksha was all too happy to explain the title to Phoenix.

Horses? Phoenix’s eyes widened with excitement, her eyes glittered and a huge smile crossed her face. Quickly she gently tugged on Guan Yin’s robes to catch her attention. The goddess did turn slightly surprised by her behavior.

“Can I go see the horses?” She nearly yelled before blushed when she heard how loud her voice spoke.

“You wish to see the horses?” Moksha asked with a chuckle.

“Of course child. Moksha I have someone I must go speak with, you can take Phoenix to the stables and show her the horses,” Her words caused Phoenix to grin in absolute excitement, she couldn’t believe her luck.

“Yes my lady. Come on Phoenix,” Moksha lead her away towards where ever the stables were.

As they walked through the halls she found herself lost and confused. She had no idea which way they came from or which way they were heading now. She’d never been good with directions but right now she could barely tell left from right. Luckily Moksha didn’t seem to be having the same problem at all. In fact he was taking every right step.

This was confirmed to Phoenix as they walked out into a large grassy field, that surrounded a large building. But the field there were several horses roaming and grazing for food. There were several stable buildings she noticed as they got closer, walking along a stone path.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” She said her nerves gone as they walked almost alone.

She didn’t notice how Moksha looked over at her and blushed ever so slightly as she twirled around to look around. Her robes spun around, tightening slightly around her waist before spreading out around her. She was absolutely gorgeous and he couldn’t help but admit that to himself.

"Can we go in?" she asked looking at Moksha with an excited smile.

"Of course" he grinned back however he was soon interrupted.

"Says who?" both Phoenix and Moksha froze and looked at the man who spoke.

No, not man this was... A monkey demon. A short one at that, beautiful golden eyes stared at the two as he glared at them. He was about 4 and a half foot tall. Bright golden, fluffy fur covered his body excluding his face and the palms of his hands. A dark red heart shaped mask surrounded his eyes while a single drop of red came from his bottom lip and down his chin. He looked more like a human with monkey features, similar to the form Phoenix had under her glamours just... Shorter.

"You must be the new Baiwen," Moksha was the first of the two to speak.

Sun Wukong, who was first the Baiwen of the celestial horses until he learned about how much his title really meant. A cold sweat rushed down Phoenix’s body as she tried to stop herself from gulping back her fear. Maybe it would be best that they left… then again. She stared at The Monkey King with a curious expression. He didn’t look that dangerous, and there was no telling if this world was really The Journey To The West.

“Yes I am Sun Wukong The Baiwen of The Celestial Realm! Who are you to come into my area!” He responded his hands on his hips as he glared up at the taller man.

“I am Moksha, a disciple of Guan Yin. I am here with Phoenix, we came to look at the horses,” Moksha explained with a slight frown on his face, he didn’t care for this demon too be caring for the horses of the celestial realm. There was no telling what this Monkey Demon would do to the horses, or if he even had to power to tend to them in the first place.

Unlike Moksha who doubted Sun Wukong’s ability to tend to the horses, Phoenix looked at him with curiosity. His anger made him look like a mad cat, the thought brought an amused chuckle out of her lips.

“And who says you have permission?-” Wukong growled harshly, his tail thrashing behind him as he glared at the two. His head snapped towards Phoenix as her chuckle left her lips. “And what are you laughing at!?”

Just as Moksha was about to speak, Phoenix spoke up. Her fear was gone at the thought of him being no more dangerous than a cat filled her head. There was no way that this was the Sun Wukong from The Journey To The West. She pushed her fear aside and spoke happily, a smile covering her face along with a slight flush of embarrassment. “Sorry, I just didn’t know that The Baiwan was someone so protective over the horses. Though I shouldn’t be surprised, a good caretaker is protective of what is his to protect,” She beamed happily, her words honest.

She didn’t notice the ever so slight flush of The Monkey King’s face. He quickly brought a fist up to cover his mouth which was attempting to stretch into a smile. He coughed once as he looked at the two. At least the woman knew how to respect her superiors, he thought before letting his smile turn into a smirk.

“OF COURSE I AM PROTECTIVE! I AM THE SUN WUKONG! THE MONKEY KING!” He yelled while grinning like an idiot, until he felt the ever sharp jab at the bottom of his foot. Shit! He was going to get rid of these people not let them manipulate him.

“Of course,” Moksha muttered, his eyes glancing between the Monkey King and Phoenix with a disbelieving look, he couldn’t honestly believe the nerve of this demon.

"Would the noble protector allow us to borrow one of the horses?" she asked with a joyful smile.

Wukong’s eyes widened at her smile as he let out a short huff. She was trying to manipulate him like all the other celestials in the celestial realm. He should turn her away, he should rip her apart for her words of falsehoods. A growl was at the tip of his tongue when he felt another jab at his foot. No! They were playing smart, he could get his revenge later.

“Of course,” He growled lowly, he didn’t want her here. Hell he didn’t want to be a stable boy at all, if it weren’t for Macaque’s plan… He huffed barely pushing past his anger and led the two celestial’s into the stable.

What he would do to just rip those two apart... He glanced over his shoulder and noticed the woman's awestruck look. He had to admit that she had her looks going for her at least, and from the way his shadow twisted so did his mate. Awe that was sweet his precious moon was jealous. The thought warmed his heart as he swayed his tail side to side.

“Why did you want to see the horses anyways?” Moksha asked curiously as Phoenix looked at each stead with a smile.

She glanced at him but didn’t respond. She knew why she wanted to see them of course but she didn’t know what she was supposed to say. Her sister loved horses it was where she own love for them stemmed from. Orchid always had a soft spot for them, she’d tried to teach her how to ride once, but Phoenix was too scared to let the horse even move forward before she gave up.

Now however surrounded by majestic creatures she didn't feel any fear, at least not towards the horses. She glanced at the back of Sun Wukong's head, a bolt of fear shot up her spine which she rather quickly pushed back down. This wasn’t some made up story, there was no way that this was the same Sun Wukong as those stories. There was a part of her that didn’t believe a word she told herself. The other part only hoped that she was right.

As she thought about it, she realized that she should have turned away when she realized who he was. But it was a little late for that and would seem awfully suspicious if she and Moksha just left now. So instead she took a deep breath and continued to walk forward. They would stay as long as was polite and expected and then they would go home.

Deep in thought Phoenix didn't notice the black tail that came from her shadow and up in front of her foot. A scream left her lips as she tumbled forward. Moksha quickly caught her before she could fall on her face with a shocked look at her fall. A heavy blush filled her cheeks as the tail disappeared back into the ground unnoticed by everyone but the chuckling monkey in front of them.

“Clumsy much?” He laughed as he continued to walk completely unbothered.

Phoenix blushed further as she stood up better, flattening out of hanfu. She couldn’t believe she just tripped, glancing at the ground she saw that it was perfectly flat. Had she just tripped in front of these two over her own two feet?

“Maybe we should go, Guan Yin should be done in-“ Moksha was cut off when Phoenix silently shook her head. She was going to see the horses, Guan Yin wouldn’t be done for a while and she knew that.

Moksha sighed but nodded. Wukong glanced at the two before once again leading them through the stables, his hidden glare twitching into a real smile. Maybe he could have some fun with these two after all. A few scares couldn’t hurt anyone.

They walked through the stables until they reached the back where there were several horses either sitting down or standing. Perfectly groomed fur, all seemed calm and peaceful. They were absolutely beautiful, Phoenix’s eyes widened as she stared at the scene before her.

“They are beautiful,” she muttered, her mind wandering a mile a minute. Her chest tightened as she let her thoughts wander. “Can I ride one?” She asked, her eyes twinkling in excitement.

Moksha immediately responded in a stern tone, “You can’t ride a horse while wearing a dress.”

Phoenix’s twinkling eyes dimmed almost immediately, her head drooping ever so slightly at the rejection. She wanted to argue but she knew full well that he was right, her dress would get in her way far too much for her to actually ride the horse. With a pout she turned away from the horses.

“We should get going,” Moksha began before cutting himself off when he heard a commotion outside. “You wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Of course Phoenix didn’t have any time to respond before the much faster celestial being left her alone. She grumbled to herself as he ran off, she could hear the commotion too, but there were no screams or sounds of distress. Still she didn’t want to leave the other to deal with the situation whatever it was on his own. So she started walking the way he left.

“BOO!” The monkey demon jumped behind her, but Phoeni didn’t even flinch as she turned her head to look at him with the only show of her surprise was her widened eyes. Which quickly calmed when she saw who it was.

“Was that necessary?” She asked tilting her head to the side.

Wukong blinked at her in surprise, clearly not expecting her to react in such a way. But his surprise was pushed away in favor of the wide grin that covered his face. This was interesting, far more interesting than the horses he was told to ‘tend to’.

He chuckled, “Of course it was.”

Phoenix stared at him with a frown covering her face before letting out a sigh. A smile graced her face and she gave a short bow to him to show respect. She knew the power that this single monkey demon possibly held within his grasp. It was some magic that she couldn’t even comprehend, something that she dreaded being on the receiving end of.

“I suppose that I should be on my way now,” She smiled nervously at the monkey demon in front of her.

Of course Sun Wukong didn’t seem to notice how uncomfortable she was beginning to get. She had been with Moksha and him not to long ago and now it was just her and The Monkey King. One she had known that she shouldn’t get close to especially by herself and now had no where to escape to.

“Why leave so soon? You were just so excited to see the horses,” He spoke up a wicked grin across his face.

Phoenix blinked in surprise, she very much did not expect that from him like at all. She tried to think about what to say while still being very confused. “Um… what? I’m sure that you would prefer for me to get out of your hair,” She muttered looking between the doorway and the monkey demon who was blocking her escape.

Sun Wukong tilted his head in thought, his tail swaying lazily behind him. There was a dangerous look in his eyes, and she had no idea just how much trouble he was planning. She knew this was a bad idea, she knew… wait this is Sun Wukong at least she thinks it is. He is arrogant and very, very egotistical.

So she quickly hid her face behind one of her large sleeves, feigning bashfulness. “I wouldn’t want to bother someone who has so much responsibility. There are so many horses here and you are the head of the stables, I’m sure that you are very busy,” Her voice was quiet for the most part but loud enough for the Monkey King to hear.

It worked just as well as she thought it would. His chest puffed out, eyes glistening with pride and a wide smile spread across his face. It was actually really cute how excited he got at the praise she received. However her relief was short lived as she felt a harsh glare on her. Barely glancing around she found nothing but the shadows of the stables. That was, odd.

“I do have great responsibility this is true,” Wukong grinned excitedly, “But I can spare some time for a lovely maiden to show her around.” His eyes were twinkling mischievously.

He wanted to see more of this maiden, he wanted to get a reaction. She hadn’t even flinched when he jumped at her, it made him both angry and excited. Not just anyone would walk around so carefree around him. He felt a jab at his foot and calmed himself, he was toying with this girl and his darling mate was getting more jealous. Honestly it was so cute! His love always did get very jealous and protective of what was his.

“I don’t really think that I should,” Phoenix responded, nearly sweating bullets which she held behind a calm expression. As calm as she could make her expression anyways. It fooled the monkey demon in front of her enough but unbeknownst to her it did not fool the shadow that was right below her.

Macaque was initially angry that he had to hide away so quickly after they arrived in the Celestial Realm but as usual masked his anger easily. It was his job as his King’s mate to remain by his side at all times. Even if what he was doing was absolutely stupid. He wasn’t able to stop his mate from coming to the Celestial Realm, so the least he could do was come up with a coherent plan to survive this.

Flirting with some celestial maiden was NOT apart of his plan! He surpassed his growl as his mate circled the maiden. What made it worse was that she wasn’t ugly, no she looked rather nice in fact. Someone he also wouldn’t mind playing with if not for the fact that he wasn’t into the celestial realm ‘legally’ like his mate was. No he wasn’t supposed to be here, his mate was the only one summoned to come to the heavens.

The thought of the position that his mate was given sent his blood boiling. He wanted to scream and shout for this disaster, but held his tongue. They wouldn’t be able to get the peaches his mate wanted if he found out so soon, they wouldn’t be able to find any weaknesses if they were kicked out so quickly. So he bit his tongue almost enough to bleed as he pushed the thought away, planning to deal with it later.

He was a loyal mate that would make sure his Sun would get what he wanted. Of course as a loyal mate he wouldn’t leave his king’s side, so he came along to make sure that they weren’t going to harm his perfect mate. Which now meant that he had to watch as his mate had fun teasing and taunting everyone around the stables without him helping! He wasn’t pouting, he wasn’t! No he just wanted his mate’s attention for himself… and get to tease and tear apart these stuck up celestials by his side.

“I don’t really think that I should,” This girl had brains, at least some in her head if she knew that she should leave.

She was doing everything to get away from the situation as soon as she could. But the attention she was receiving from HIS mate was starting to get on his nerves, even if she was cute. Her heart beating wildly as she tried to cover up her fear.

“But you could always-,” Wukong’s words were cut off by the young celestial that had accompanied her.

“It was just a group of gossiping ladies. Lady Phoenix we should be on our way,” Moksha said with a slightly annoyed expression. “My lady is probably waiting for you.”

“Of course,” Phoenix perked up before rushing to him as fast as she could without rising suspicion.

As the two left, only Sun Wukong and Macaque were left inside of the stables. The shadow monkey finally having a chance to come out of his shadow. He wrapped his arms around his mate’s waist while burying his face into the peach scented neck. Taking a breath he looked up at his cocky mate who was grinning at him, his golden tail wrapping around his leg.

“Is someone jealous?” Wukong purred happily.

“You are MY mate,” Macaque grunted his own tail wrapping around Wukong’s thigh as he pulled them both to sit down.

With his ears fanned out he smirked, there was no one coming to spoil their fun this time. No one to bother- someone was coming. He growled as he muttered to his mate, “Someone else is coming, play nice. We can’t get the peaches you want unless if you remain calm,” Before fading into his shadow, pulling his mate’s tail with him until it reluctantly let go.

The people in question who were coming were a maiden and a guard. Both were dressed in elegant outfits, not even the guards were spared when it came to the luxuries of the heavens it seemed. Now what did they want?

>>><<<

“Are you alright Phoenix?” Moksha asked curiously looking over the girl who was calmly walking next to him without a word.

She glanced up at him and shrugged, was she okay? Yes, she was fine at least for the most part she was. Sun Wukong had done nothing to hurt her, not physically or even mentally. Her heart still pounded in her chest from the encounter.

“Of course, I’m fine,” She smiled after letting out a breath, she didn’t need to worry him for no reason.

She didn’t acknowledge the frown that graced his face, instead preferring to look forward with a smile. She held her head high as she walked confidently down the halls trying to keep her composer nice and calm. Everything was fine, there was no reason for her to worry anyone about her fear or ‘annoyances.’ She was grateful when he didn’t pry any further, preferring instead to walk in silence.

The silence was cut short by the sound of shouts and screams from behind them. Phoenix whirled around, her eyes widening as a sense of fear washed over her. Fire, there was fire. Billowing smoke wafted through the air, elegant yellow and orange flames dancing on something. That was… the stables!

What did Sun Wukong DO!? The question rang through her head as Moksha grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the commotion. Who pissed the monkey king off… unless….