Chapter Text
Mihou ran through the cold, snowy streets, ears listening in all directions for any sound of his pursuers. They were so close behind him.
He dared a glance over his shoulder, the dark figure was following him at a steady pace, a greatly displeased grimace on his face. He shivered and ran faster.
Why? Why can't you just let me go? He wanted to scream and cry, but he couldn't waste the energy, he had to run.
He had just gotten back to his family after over sixty years of being kept away from them. He missed so much, Xiuying and Qiuyue had cubs, twin girls, Ma had a cub now too, and his cubs!
His little girls, they were so big now, he had missed so much of their lives. He was honestly surprised they remembered him at all, they had been so little when he was taken. He couldn't miss any more, his family needed him more than ever now. He couldn't get taken again.
He didn't think he'd survive a second time. Jisai's king was a horribly cruel demon.
He really hoped his family had managed to get away from the guards. He dreaded what that snake would do if he got his hands on them.
His cub squirmed in his arms, letting out a sound somewhere between a monkey's disgruntled chirp and a snake's hiss. She didn't like being jostled around so much.
He whispered a soft apology to her, but he had to keep going, even if it upset her. He had to get them both out.
He dashed through the streets, taking a sharp left turn into an open courtyard, directly across from him was the city's Buddhist monastery. He could hear the river beyond it.
He knew the monastery’s monks weren't the biggest fan of Xiangliu. The head monk had personally written him letters about his disapproval of his methods of ruling, and about him, how the monk knew he wasn't here willingly was beyond him.
They would certainly help him. At the very least he could claim sanctuary with them. Then he could go through the monastery to the river, and once he was out of the city, he'd be free.
His pursuers were coming in hot behind him, he bolted towards the monastery, he couldn't be caught, not now. He ran up the steps and banged on the large doors.
“Sanctuary! I need sanctuary! Please!” He cried out.
He heard no response from within the monastery, all he heard was the swiftly approaching footsteps of the one being he most feared.
He glanced around wildly for some other means of escape, guards were blocking every exit to the courtyard, archers were positioned on the rooftops-
Wait, archers on the rooftops? They had to have been lying in wait-
It hit him like a ton of bricks.
This was a trap, and he had run right into it.
He pressed himself against the doors, wishing more than anything he could phase through them and escape.
“Nowhere left to run, is there, my little shade?” A cold, cruel voice snickered, echoing off every surface of the courtyard.
Mihou swore his heart stopped for a moment, he clutched his baby tighter.
No. No. No! This isn't happening! This can't be happening! He squeezed his eyes shut, willing this to all be a bad dream and that he'd wake up safe with his family around him.
He heard the snake's heart pounding in his ears. A cold, scaly hand under his chin coaxed his head up, he flinched away, tucking his face away in the fold of his scarf.
“Look at me.” Xiangliu commanded, grabbing his face and squeezing hard enough to leave a bruise.
The demon kissed him hard, forcing his slimy, forked tongue into his mouth, he screamed. Xiangliu pinned him against the doors with a warning growl. He went silent, keeping his eyes shut tight.
He'd learned -been broken down and trained- to just let it happen. It would be over faster.
Xiangliu pulled away, he gasped for air, choking on the saliva in his mouth. Cold fingers traced the edges of his face mask, he shivered at the touch.
“My shade, my lovely little shadow, just what do you think you were doing?” Xiangliu snarled at him.
He whimpered and tried to pull away, the vice grip tightened. He was pulled closer, the snake's free arm wrapping around his waist, trapping him between the door and the other's body.
“You were trying to run away again, weren't you?” He hissed.
One of his other heads darted forward and nipped his cheek, he flinched at the sting of cold night air on his open skin.
“Do you know how disappointed I was to see you had fled again? I thought you'd learned your lesson after the last time.” He spat.
Another head nipped at one of his ears, he couldn't help the pained chirp that escaped him. His kind’s ears were so sensitive, Xiangliu happily abused it.
“I-i wanted my family…” he whimpered weakly, knowing it wouldn't spare him, or his family if Xiangliu had captured them.
He prayed they got away. He couldn't bear the thought of his family going through the torments he had.
“Your family? My dear, foolish shadow, your family left you, twice, they clearly don't want you.” Xiangliu snickered.
“You're wrong! You're lying! You took me from them! You stole me!” Mihou growled, finally looking up at the demon towering over him.
How dare he insult my family!
Wukong, his mate, wanted him, Xiuying, his oldest friend, wanted him, Qiuyue and Ma, his mate's cousin and sister, wanted him, and his cubs wanted him.
His family wanted him, they missed him, they had been searching endlessly for him even though as far as they knew he was dead. They gave up nearly everything to come save him when they learned he wasn't.
Their actions upon seeing him again spoke far louder than any of the lies Xiangliu spun.
Xiangliu slapped him across the cheek.
“Don't take that tone with me.” He snarled.
“It's bad enough that you made me come after you, but you had to take our daughter with you as well.” His hand rested on top of the bundle Mihou held.
“I wasn't going to leave her with you.” He hissed, jerking away from the snake.
Xiangliu sneered down at him, dark anger flickering in his eyes. He immediately regretted talking back to him, he cowered in fear, making himself as small as possible.
“I'll think of a suitable punishment for your insolence later.” Xiangliu gripped his arm tightly.
“For now, I'm taking you back home. You’ve probably gotten little Weilong sick bringing her out in this weather.” He sneered, dragging him through the snow, back to the prison he'd just fled.
“No! I won't go back there!” Mihou screeched, fighting against the death grip on his arm.
“There's nothing you can ever say, and there's nothing you can ever do to stop me.” Xiangliu hissed.
Mihou froze at the terrifyingly familiar words. His captor smirked, knowing the effect they had on him.
Xiangliu had said them to him when he first forced himself upon him as a way to tell him resistance was useless. And ever since then, it had been a dangerous promise, something whispered into his ears during those horrible, long nights trapped under him, a reminder of his powerlessness.
There was nothing he could do to stop Xiangliu from assaulting him.
But he had so much more at stake than he ever had before, he'd gotten a taste of freedom, he'd seen his family again, he wasn't going back. He'd rather die than return to that palace.
Mihou snarled, ripping himself free of the monster's grip.
Xiangliu glared down at him, the other heads rose around him, hissing with displeasure. He was lucky all the bites so far had been dry bites, Xiangliu had a nasty potent venom he didn't hesitate to use on him.
He needed to avoid getting bitten if he wanted to get out of this.
“Stop this foolishness. You belong to me, no matter where you go, in this kingdom or any other, you'll always be mine.” Xiangliu chuckled darkly, a flash of dark orange magic twirling around his fingers.
His chest tightened, it was like a fist clenching around his heart. He hissed at the painful reminder of the ritual performed on him when he was first captured, binding him to the snake and marking him as his property until death. And that was before the forced wedding ceremony.
He may have that bastard's name written all over him, but his heart would never belong to him.
“Anywhere you go, you'll be identified and hunted down to be returned to me. Where do you possibly think you could go to escape me?” Xiangliu prompted, flashing his fangs as a deadly promise.
“I will go anywhere to get away from you.” Mihou spat.
Xiangliu lunged for him, he ducked under the snake demon's grasp, kicking his backside as he passed him.
He could hear the guards shifting, moving closer to prevent escape. He eyed the well, if the water level wasn't too high, maybe he could hide in it, and sneak out when the guards got lazy.
It wasn't much of a plan, or a good one, but it was all he could think of.
“Liu'er.” Xiangliu growled, a dangerous edge to his voice.
He hated that name, the one Xiangliu forced upon him like everything else.
“That's not my name.” He hissed.
He ran for the well.
Xiangliu darted forward to intercept him, he ducked under the outstretched hands-
Xiangliu grabbed hold of Weilong's blanket instead of him.
The snake yanked on the bundled cub in his arms, he screeched and held tighter to his cub. He wasn't going to let him take her, he was leaving with his cub!
One of the heads snapped at his face at the same time Xiangliu kicked him in the chest, the force and pain of the combined attack caused his grip to loosen enough that his baby was snatched out of his-
His head hit the stone well, everything went black.
XXX
Xiangliu stared down at his shade's limp body, crumpled on his side, blood oozing out of his head and tainting the pure white snow beneath him.
He knelt down beside his shade, running a hand through his blue gray fur as he examined the two head wounds.
His right eye was ruptured, one of his heads had snapped at him, intending to inject him with a sedating venom, but missed. The impact of hitting the well had cracked his skull, killing him almost instantly.
And the monkey was dead, the glow of his ears, his life glow as his kind called it, was gone. Snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
He growled at the dead shade before him. It was his own fault he ended up this way. If he'd just given up when he caught him, or better yet, if he'd never run away in the first place, he wouldn't be dead right now.
One of his scouts approached him.
“Your Majesty, the others got away.” The scout informed him.
Perfect, just perfect.
He'd been hoping to use those monkeys. His shade's two older cubs would have been useful in keeping him in line, and one could never say no to the acquisition of more lotus eared macaques anyway.
But he didn't have a shade to be kept in line anymore.
“What would you like us to do with the body?” The guard captain asked him.
Xiangliu rose, glancing down at his shade's corpse. He was tempted to take it back to the palace now and resurrect him, but he wasn't feeling that generous yet.
And his body was the perfect bait.
He grinned, yes, he'd leave his shade to rot for a few days, with guards to protect him, and when his family inevitably came to investigate, he could capture the whole lot of them.
Once his family was captured, he would resurrect his shade, a fitting punishment for causing him so much trouble.
“Leave him here. He'll make perfect bait for his family.” He all but spat the word.
“Bait, sir?” The captain wondered.
“Yes, bait, I'm setting a trap for his loved ones. Block off this section of the city, no civilians can enter.” He nodded.
“I want at least two guards standing watch over him at all times, you are to capture, alive, any monkey demons that come for him. Let word of his demise and the location spread through the guards, it will get them here faster.” He ordered.
The captain nodded and went about barking out his orders.
Light filled the courtyard, the head monk of the monastery, Tang Sanzang, stepped out. Xiangliu gritted his teeth, he hated this monk, he was always getting on his case about everything. And he couldn't get rid of him either, the damn monk was heavily protected.
Sanzang scanned the courtyard, his eyes widened upon seeing the shade’s body.
“What have you done?” The cicada demon gasped.
“None of your business, monk. Return to your monastery.” The captain ordered.
“Not until you explain why there is a dead demon in front of my monastery!” Sanzang shouted.
Weilong wailed in his arms, ah right, her. He needed a new caretaker for the cub while her mother was dead.
He unwrapped the baby from her blanket, one oh so lovingly handmade by his shade, to provide comfort for the cub whenever he had to leave her, and to piss him off. The images embroidered into it were of his shade's family.
He dropped it on the side of the well, it hung over his shade's bleeding head.
Weilong cried louder at the cold air, her thin fur did little to keep her warm in these temperatures. Another reason his shade was a fool for ever leaving the palace.
“Did you take that demon's baby?!” The monk growled.
Xiangliu stalked towards the meddlesome monk, the man stepped back in alarm, finally realizing who he was shouting at. His king.
“She is my child, but if you're so worried about her, you can care for her until I come to collect her.” He snarled, dropping Weilong into the unprepared monk's hands.
He caught the cub, quickly tucking her into his robe for warmth. It finally silenced her wailing.
“You nor any of your people are to leave the monastery through this courtyard, it is on lockdown until further notice. And you are not to interfere with the body either.” He ordered.
The monk glanced at the now guarded body, then back at him with a glare.
“Yes, your Majesty.” The monk spat.
“Sir! We've finished setting up the alert seals around the courtyard.” One of the guards informed the captain.
“If you'll excuse me, my work here is done, for now. I'll be back for my daughter another day.” Xiangliu told the monk curtly.
The monk glared at him, he shooed the man back into his monastery. Once the large doors were shut, he ordered a seal applied to keep the monks inside during his little trap.
It wouldn't do him any good for them to interfere.
He crossed the courtyard, pausing beside his shade’s body; in a few days, he'd have his shade back, and the means to keep him in line.
Though it would be such a shame to let his shade's scarf get ruined by the blood and weather.
It was an expertly made scarf, a gift from his shade’s dearly departed mothers. It was the only personal item he allowed his shade to keep.
He untied the scarf and pulled it off, he'd give it back once his shade learned his lesson.
XXX
His shade’s body had been stolen.
By his blasted family no doubt, he found that infuriating golden simian’s fur where his shade's body had been.
The monks in the monastery all attested to seeing nothing, having all suddenly fallen asleep at the same time. It seemed whatever spell used to knock out his guards had worked on them as well.
As much as he'd like to blame the monks, especially Sanzang, for his shade’s disappearance, there wasn't any evidence, every monk in the monastery was found asleep as his guards were.
He was quite displeased at the turn of events, those stupid monkeys ruined his plans yet again.
Weilong chirped at him, he glowered at the girl. Sanzang had brought her out so he could take her back.
Once, he would have happily housed the cub in his palace with his shade, but the events of the last few days had soured his opinion of his child.
The damn girl was the reason his shade died, if he hadn't been holding her so tight, he wouldn't have fallen so hard. And his shade dying was the reason he didn't have his shade anymore. It was all her fault.
He sneered at the cub, disgusted by her, the little murderous monster.
Once, he could have said he loved the child, he loathed her now.
But he wouldn't kill her, no, she was all he had left of his shade. There was no way that ragtag troop of monkeys would be able to resurrect his shade, by stealing his body, they had unknowingly sealed his fate.
“Your Majesty, your daughter is calling for you.” Sanzang held her out to him.
The monstrous little cub reached out for him with her disgustingly chubby hands.
The little thing was an abomination now that he really thought about it; covered in patchy fur and scales, even her six ears had scales, her head a mix of hair and the six snake heads she'd been born with, and then there was her tail, her tail had a head of its own. She was a disgusting abomination.
Oh, but his shade had loved her so dearly, and he'd be doing a disservice to his shade's memory to abandon her on the streets.
“No.” He said, glaring down at the child.
“No? What do you mean no?” The monk objected.
“I mean, she is to be raised here, hidden in your monastery away from the eyes of the public.” He ordered.
The monk opened his mouth to object again, one of his heads hissed at the bug. He wisely shut his mouth.
“I will fund her care, she is my daughter and I will do my duty as her father, but I will not acknowledge a freak such as her as my legal child.” He hissed.
“Do you have any problem with that?” He snarled.
“No, your majesty.” Sanzang growled.
“Very good, keep her out of the eyes of the monks too, I don't want such a disgrace to be known about.” He demanded.
With that, he left the monastery, and his cub, storming out into the courtyard his shade had been stolen from.
He was going to find that blasted simian and make him pay, even if he had to burn down all of Jisai to do so.
“Sir, what are you going to tell the people?” The captain asked him, falling into stride behind him.
“That the queen consort and crown princess of Jisai were murdered by a rageful group of monkey demons. Such a shame the consort’s own kind turned on him.” He snarled, turning away from the well where his shade's corpse had lain.
His kingdom knew of his shade and the place he held in his heart. Their union had been a kingdom wide celebration, as had the birth of their now former princess.
His shade and child were beloved by his subjects, deeply beloved, they liked his consort more than him. They would be so distraught to learn of their brutal murder at the hands of their own kind.
He likely wouldn't even have to do anything, monkey demons would be hunted down and rounded up without his insistence, but they would probably all be killed if he allowed that.
He wanted them alive.
Monkey demons were quite useful laborers, and lotus eared macaques were worth more than their weight in gold.
“I'll make an official announcement tonight, and plead that the people show mercy towards the monkey demons in my lands, though I do expect to see quite a few get turned over to the authorities.” He laughed harshly.
His shade's kind would suffer for his foolishness, he'd make sure of that.
~421 years later~
Weilong climbed up the sides of the monastery's roof, he stopped clinging when they reached the nest, hidden underneath the swooping roof.
A little bird was sitting in it, looking down outside the nest. It squawked upon seeing them.
“Hi little guy! Is today gonna be the day? Are you ready to fly?” He asked it.
The bird looked down at the drop below then shook it's head, shrinking away from the edge.
“Aww don't be like that, it's a beautiful day to fly.” He said, reaching in to lift the little bird out of the nest.
It shuffled around on his scaled hands, settling down and fluffing out its plumage in a stubborn refusal to move.
“If I could fly, today would surely be the day I'd choose to do so.” They told the bird, looking down at the people preparing for the festival in all parts of the city.
The bird chirped curiously.
“Why? It's Nuwa's Festival today, there's going to be so much fun, music, dancing, food, everything wonderful in the world…” He sighed, gazing wistfully down at the people below.
The little bird stood on his hands, slowly spreading out its wings and flapping them. At that moment, the wind blew stronger, pushing the bird up and away from him. It chirped happily, looking back at him for approval.
“Great job. You're doing it all on your own.” He told the bird.
It cooed and fluttered over to him, nuzzling their face.
A flock of birds flew by, the little bird looked towards them, another bird called for it to join them, it glanced back at him, looking a little sad.
They pat the bird's head and gently shooed it away.
“Go on, nobody wants to be cooped up in here for the rest of their life.” He told it.
The bird chirped and flew off, joining the flock of other birds. They watched it fly off, what he wouldn't give to be able to fly away like the bird did.
But that would be so cruel to Father, he already lost Mother. They sighed.
Danbaishi nuzzled his cheek, his tongue tickling their cheek. He giggled, scratching under their tail’s chin.
His heads were his best friends, always there to support them and make them feel better when he was down.
They began to climb back into the monastery, there was work to do.