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inkweaver22-blr · 2 years ago

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This is Part 2 of this chapter as Tumblr doesn't allow more than 1,000 blocks of text on a single post. To read the first half of this chapter and see my opening notes, check out Part 1 Here or click on Previous below. Or just click the AO3 Link to read the whole chapter uninterrupted.

AO3 Link

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Twenty One: Shining With Joy (Part 2)

The changes in Tang’s life never seem to stop. Luckily there are moments that shine bright enough to make them worth it.

----------

Tang was roused from a peaceful sleep by the sound of distant shouting. He tried to sit up but blinked in surprise when his head hit the ceiling. What in the world?

It was dark, and smelled of upturned soil. Was he underground? There was a faint light coming from one direction so he crawled towards it. He discovered a tunnel leading upwards and began making his way up. As he approached the entrance, he could start making out the voices a bit better. It sounded like they were calling his name.

Tang surfaced and looked around. The hole- burrow, he absently realized- had been dug right up against the airship. The shouting was coming from above, probably on deck.

He stepped out of the burrow and examined himself. He expected the dirt in his fur, but where had his clothes gone? With a grumble he plucked out a strand of fur, blowing on it to make a pair of shorts and pulling them on. He was not pleased with how his morning was going.

Sleepwalking was one thing. Sleepwalking while nude and digging a huge hole in the ground was another.

“I’m down here,” Tang called up to the deck once he was modest.

“Tang!” Pigsy, MK, and Sandy all leaned over the side of the railing to look down at Tang.

“Are you alright?” Pigsy called with concern. “I woke up and you were gone and none of us could find you on board!”

“I’m fine! I think I was sleepwalking. I, uh, might have been sleep-digging as well.”

“Sleep-digging?”

“I woke up in a burrow dug under the ship.”

There was a silence for a moment as the three just stared at him.

“Okay, that’s… Whatever.” Pigsy shook his head. “We’ll deal with that later. Just come around to the entrance while we go tell the others we found you.”

“Alright.”

Tang sighed as they disappeared back over the railing. He looked at the hole he had apparently dug. He and Wukong had guessed his rabbit instincts would kick in at some point, but he hadn’t expected just three days later.

Shaking his head he started making his way to the entrance. It was just something else he’d have to adjust to. It wasn’t too big of a problem if he was honest. He didn’t mind the dirt and that burrow had been kind of cozy. They’d probably have to do something about his bedroom so this wouldn’t happen while they were mid-flight though…

Tang shivered a bit and rubbed his arms. The chill in the air could be felt even through his fur. He looked up at the overcast sky and blinked. Those were certainly not rain clouds.

Sure enough, as he reached the ship’s main entrance and accepted a blanket and hug from Pigsy, snow began to softly fall. He shuddered again and turned to go inside. Tang liked snow, he just wished it wasn’t so white. It was also hard to appreciate when one was half naked. He really hoped sleepwalking in just his fur wouldn’t become a habit.

----------

“I know you said you’d be shedding, but this is ridiculous,” Pigsy grunted as brushed Tang’s back. “I didn’t think there’d be this much.” He pulled the brush away and let the clump it had collected drop to growing piles of chocolate and reddish brown fur on the floor.

“Rabbits normally have all Autumn to shed their Summer coats as their Winter ones grow in,” Tang explained as he brushed his arm. “However, since it’s near the end of Autumn and I woke up in the cold last week, my fur seems to have decided to do it all in one go.” He swapped the brush to his other paw and began working on his other arm.

“Well at least you shouldn’t be wandering outside to dig holes in the middle of the night again,” Pigsy said. “The kids did a great job on redecorating.”

Tang hummed in agreement as he looked around. MK, Mei, and Red Son had all worked together to transform his room to make it feel like an underground den. MK had masterfully painted the walls to give it the appearance of solid earth. Mei designed some light fixtures that looked like roots hanging from the ceiling. Red Son provided some incense that made the room smell like freshly turned soil.

Along with the blackout curtains over the window, the atmosphere soothed Tang’s rabbit instincts. He hadn’t had another sleepwalking incident since.

“Done with your back,” Pigsy reported. “Stand up so I can brush that cute butt of yours.”

“You sure you don’t want to do the front?” Tang teased as he stood and moved on to brushing his chest.

“Not with all this loose fur flying around,” Pigsy said seriously. He knelt and began to gently brush under Tang’s tail. “Don’t want to be spitting up hairballs.”

“Ah. Right.” He paused in his brushing. “Now why would the fur be getting in your mouth?”

“Shut it.”

Tang continued to shed for another few days. He was honestly surprised by the sheer volume of fur that had come off his body. Unsure on what to do with it, they had stuffed it all in a trash bag and stored it in his closet for now.

His new Winter coat was certainly much thicker. That meant it was fluffier, much to Pigsy’s delight. It also meant it was warmer, much to Tang’s dismay. With the heater running on board the ship at almost all times now, Tang was always a short burst of exertion away from overheating. He had to ditch his normal outfit of robes and pants for a t-shirt and shorts just to stay at a comfortable temperature.

He supposed it could be worse. At least Pigsy wanted to cuddle more often now. Tang chinned the top of his partner’s head and purred in satisfaction as they sat together under a blanket. The living room’s fireplace crackled merrily as the others all conversed and laughed together.

Yes, it certainly wasn’t all bad.

----------

The search for a way to defeat Lady Bone Demon hadn’t been put on hold just for Tang. Wukong’s map had four locations marked on it, corresponding with four artifacts relating to the seasons. Once brought together, they could be used to seal almost anything away for good.

Summer’s artifact, a sunstone encrusted ceremonial fan, had been obtained before Tang had even awoken this cycle. The artifact for Autumn, a decorative wheel with topazes set into the center and at each spot where the spokes connected with the rim, had apparently been picked up while he was relearning how to walk.

The Winter artifact, a scepter capped with a large moonstone, had been their next target.

‘Had’ being the operative word there. As of three days ago, it was resting safely inside the ship’s vault. Finding the shrine it had been kept at and proving themselves to its guardian hadn’t been the problem.

The problem was that it was apparently cursed, and it spread to everyone on board. They hadn’t known anything was wrong at first. But it became rather clear once instruments seemed to play from nowhere while Wukong and Macaque began performing a duet about their conflicting feelings for the other at dinner.

Tang had to admit to being impressed. Both by the singing skills of the mortally embarrassed monkeys and by the ingenuity of a musical curse. He had examined the scepter and determined that there was no way to break the spell without destroying the artifact as well. It would eventually wear out from what he could tell. As for how long they would have to wait…

He swore his ears were still ringing from their shouts when he had informed them it could potentially last for weeks.

Tang hadn’t thought it to be too bad at first. Some of the songs were pretty fun and were mostly nonsense things about what activities they were performing. His tune quickly changed after he and Pigsy had to retreat in mortification after singing a rather saucy and suggestive ditty to each other in front of an equally mortified MK.

Mei was having the most fun out of this if the amount of popcorn buckets she was going through was any indication.

Breakfast was currently a tense affair. No one spoke in fear of accidentally triggering a song. They all kept their heads down and avoided eye contact to prevent any thoughts from popping up that could lead to a performance that made them unwillingly bare their souls.

“Ugh!” MK groaned in frustration after nearly thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence. Tang was impressed with how long he had lasted.

“This is stupid!” He stood and began pacing. “Why are we all worked up over this? It’s just some singing, right?”

“I think it’s less the singing and more being forced to express your deepest darkest emotions,” Red Son drawled.

“But that’s the thing,” MK continued, waving his hands for emphasis. “We’ve all been stuck together for months now. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, no matter how some of you tried to stop it. We should know most of each other's hang ups by now.” He turned to face them all. “What are we afraid of?”

“It’s… embarrassing to bring some of those emotions out for everyone to see,” Tang coughed. “For example, mine and Pigsy’s little song…”

“But why?” MK began pacing again. “You are grown, married adults. It’s normal to have those kinds of thoughts about each other! And we’re all adults who understand what people in love get up to! Why are we embarrassed about that? About any of this?”

Tang had to admit those were some pretty good points and he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“It’s hard to be completely open like that,” Sandy explained after a few moments of silence. “It makes us feel exposed. Vulnerable. Free to be mocked and ridiculed.”

“That’s stupid!” MK scoffed. “It’s only us here! We’re so close, we’re practically family! Which of us would make fun of someone just for having emotions?”

“What would you have us do, bud?” Wukong asked. “I’m sure you have an idea if you're this upset about it.”

“Yeah! We stop caring!” He looked at all the blank stares he was getting and quickly started expanding on what he meant. “Not in general, I mean. We stop caring about what others think about how we feel! I’m sure none of us would actually judge each other about anything outside of poking a little fun. We’re all messy, kinda broken, mostly mortal beings who know a lot about each other already. We should stop being afraid to just… feel around each other.”

“So… We don’t kill the cringe, we kill the part of us that cringes?” Mei simplified.

“Exactly!”

“You talk as if it’s easy,” Macaque derided. “Why don’t you lead by example and maybe I’ll think about it.”

“Fine! I will!” MK marched over and pulled Red Son out of his chair.

“Wait! I didn’t agree to be a part of this!”

“Don’t worry, you’ll just have to stand there.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better!”

“Trust me,” MK said softly. “Please?”

“I…” Red Son swallowed. “Alright.”

“Thank you.”

MK took a breath and began to tap his hand against his leg. Predictably, music began to play. He smiled and looked up into Red Son’s eyes and started to sing.

“You're Better Than The Best

I'm Lucky Just To Linger In Your Light

Cooler Than The Flip-Side Of My Pillow, That's Right

“Completely Unaware

Nothing Can Compare To Where You Send Me

It Lets Me Know That It's Okay (Yeah, It's Okay)

And The Moments When My Good Times Start To Fade”

“Oh no,” Red Son groaned and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t quite hide how bright his ears were turning or how his hair started to spark.

“You Make Me Smile Like The Sun

Fall Out Of Bed

Sing Like A Bird

Dizzy In My Head

Spin Like A Record

Crazy On A Sunday Night

You Make Me Dance Like A Fool

Forget How To Breathe

Shine Like Gold

Buzz Like A Bee

Just The Thought Of You Can Drive Me Wild

Oh, You Make Me Smile”

Red Son peeked out from behind his fingers. MK simply smiled at him and held out his hand in invitation.

“Even When You're Gone

Somehow You Come Along

Just Like A Flower Poking Through The Sidewalk Crack

And Just Like That

You Steal Away The Rain

And Just Like That”

Red Son gave in and took the offered hand. MK pulled him close and began to swing them around as he sang the second chorus.

“You Make Me Smile Like The Sun

Fall Out Of Bed

Sing Like A Bird

Dizzy In My Head

Spin Like A Record

Crazy On A Sunday Night

You Make Me Dance Like A Fool

Forget How To Breathe

Shine Like Gold

Buzz Like A Bee

Just The Thought Of You Can Drive Me Wild

Oh, You Make Me Smile”

Red Son joined in as they danced, seeming just as surprised as everyone else.

“Don't Know How I Live Without You

Cause Every Time That I Get Around You

I See The Best Of Me Inside Your Eyes

You Make Me Smile”

He pulled MK to a stop and rested his forehead against his while staring into his eyes. He sang directly to him this time.

“You Make Me Dance Like A Fool

Forget How To Breathe

Shine Like Gold

Buzz Like A Bee

Just The Thought Of You Can Drive Me Wild”

MK grinned widely as they both began to dance and sing the final chorus together.

“You Make Me Smile Like The Sun

Fall Out Of Bed

Sing Like A Bird

Dizzy In My Head

Spin Like A Record

Crazy On A Sunday Night

You Make Me Dance Like A Fool

Forget How To Breathe

Shine Like Gold

Buzz Like A Bee

Just The Thought Of You Can Drive Me Wild

Oh, You Make Me Smile

Oh, You Make Me Smile”

The two stood there embracing for a moment before returning to the table. MK grinned as he looked over everyone.

“So?”

“That was pretty impressive, kid,” Pigsy said. “But- and I’d hate to be agreeing with Macaque-”

“Oi!”

“-I think you don’t get how hard this is going to be.” He sighed at MK’s look of dejection. “We’ll still try and keep what you’ve said in mind, but… Just don’t expect us to be comfortable with this overnight is all I’m saying.”

“That’s fair I guess,” MK sighed. “Can we at least stop avoiding each other because we’re afraid a song might start?”

“That’s a reasonable request,” Sandy agreed. “We should probably all promise to not pester each other about things we might reveal about ourselves while singing as well.”

“Does that mean I can’t give Red Son a shovel talk?” Pigsy narrowed his eyes at the suddenly nervous young demon.

“Dadsy!”

“Pigsy!”

“Alright fine,” Pigsy relented to the reprimands from his son and partner. “Just consider yourself warned for now.”

“Understood,” Red Son nodded quickly.

The tension slowly faded away as short conversations began picking up. Tang wasn’t sure how many of them had taken MK’s words to heart. He himself understood where the young man was coming from. Had this happened before his imprisonment, he would have been completely on board.

As it was, he had quite a bit of trauma he was still dealing with and would probably continue dealing with far into future cycles. He wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of being forced to sing about some of things he had gone through. There were some experiences he wasn’t ready to confront yet, and he didn’t like that choice being taken from him.

He’d at least try, for MK if nothing else. But Tang couldn’t help but silently hope the spell wore off sooner rather than later.

----------

With the onset of Winter, it had been decided that they needed to settle down in one place for the season. The Spring artifact couldn’t be retrieved until its season so there was no point wasting energy flying around running from Lady Bone Demon’s forces. Half of their supplies had also been supplemented by foraging and that just wouldn’t be possible during the next few months. Camping out in a single spot, preferably someplace close to some sort of civilization, while they waited for the season to pass would allow them to get some rest and relaxation before the hunt began again in Spring.

Wukong’s song about this plan had been pretty catchy if Tang was to be honest.

It took them nearly a week to find a good spot. A forest clearing set right against a mountain that was partially hidden by some overhanging cliffs. It was also only a few dozen miles from a rather large city. A relatively short distance for Wukong to quickly fly over and get supplies for them all.

Tang was certain he had heard of Lantern City before in past cycles, but had never had the opportunity to visit. Hopefully Wukong would be willing to bring some of them along after scouting the place out.

Before they could properly settle in, they needed to prepare the clearing. That meant removing quite a bit of snow and ice that had already formed as well as carving some more permanent wards into the rock.

Tang was uniquely suited for the second task thanks to his earth shaping abilities. He had already carved runes all along the cliffs and was currently inscribing some stones that would be placed around the edges of the clearing amongst the trees. The others all worked away with shovels nearby to try and clear the snow from where they wanted to park the ship.

It was all rather monotonous work. Repetitive as well. Perhaps even rhythmic…

Tang sighed at that thought as music started to play, making the others all groan as well as they began to sing.

“Born Of Cold And Winter Air

And Mountain Rain Combining

This Icy Force Both Foul And Fair

Has A Frozen Heart Worth Mining”

It was a working song Tang realized as he began to carve in time with the beat. At least the lyrics seemed appropriate for their tasks.

“So Cut Through The Heart, Cold And Clear

Strike For Love And Strike For Fear

See The Beauty, Sharp And Sheer

Split The Ice Apart

And Break The Frozen Heart”

The others were all scooping up snow and ice in time as well. They began to synchronize their movements as they sang.

“Hyup! Ho! Watch Your Step! Let it go!

Hyup! Ho! Watch Your Step! Let it go!

“Beautiful!

Powerful!

Dangerous!

Cold!

Ice Has A Magic, Can't Be Controlled

Stronger Than One! Stronger Than Ten!

Stronger Than A Hundred Men!

“Hyup!”

They all picked up their pace as the song sped up.

“Born Of Cold And Winter Air

And Mountain Rain Combining

This Icy Force Both Foul And Fair

Has A Frozen Heart Worth Mining

“Cut Through The Heart, Cold And Clear

Strike For Love And Strike For Fear

There's Beauty And There's Danger Here

Split The Ice Apart

Beware The Frozen Heart”

Tang shuddered a bit at that last line as the song began to repeat itself. He already had a healthy dose of fear for someone who’s heart was cold and frozen. The reminder wasn’t necessary for him.

At least the song helped them finish their tasks faster than expected. They parked the ship and charged the wards with plenty of time before sunset. It seemed they were just in time as well. The clouds above that had been threatening to dump even more snow on them finally began to drop their icy loads barely an hour after they finished.

They celebrated the start of what Macaque jokingly called their Winter Vacation with hot chocolate and movies. Tang did his best to enjoy himself. But he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive as he watched the snow through the windows. He hoped it was just his discomfort from the song earlier and not a sign of things to come.

----------

The recovery process was not linear. It was slow, taking a few steps at a time. Even if you felt you were getting better it was possible something could happen to cause you to backslide. And no matter what, there would always be the occasional bad day.

Today was a bad day for Tang.

He hadn’t wanted to get out of bed. His responses to being addressed were short and clipped. He felt lethargic and didn’t have an appetite.

The constant snowfall wasn’t helping. Two weeks since they had settled into the clearing and it had not stopped since that first day. The endless white made Tang feel nauseous on a normal day. It was nearly unbearable today.

He had escaped to the therapy cat room, hoping that spending some time with cute animals would help. He stared off into space as he absently pet one of the cats.

Why? Why was he feeling this way? Weren’t things getting better? Hadn’t he been cared for and surrounded by love? He’d been so good so far.

Music began to play. Tang, not really caring, allowed it to take a hold of him and began to sing. The cats joined in as back up vocals, which thanks to the magic of the curse actually sounded good.

“I've Been So Good, I've Been Helpful And Friendly

I've Been So Good, Why Am I Feeling Empty?

I've Been So Good, I've Been So Good This Year

I've Been So Good, But It's Still Getting Harder

I've Been So Good, Where The Hell Is The Karma?

I've Been So Good, I've Been So Good This Year”

“Tang?” Sandy stepped into the room and frowned in concern. “Is everything fine?”

Tang looked up and shook his head as he continued.

“Why, Are You Asking Me Why?

My Days And Nights Are Filled With Disappointment

Fine, Oh No, Everything's Fine

I'm Not Sure Why I Booked Today's Appointment

“I've Been So Good, I've Been Helpful And Friendly

I've Been So Good, Why Am I Feeling Empty?

I've Been So Good, I've Been So Good This Year

I've Been So Good, But It's Still Getting Harder

I've Been So Good, Where The Hell Is The Karma?

I've Been So Good, I've Been So Good This Year”

Sandy locked the door behind him and moved to sit next to Tang. He placed his arm around the rabbit demon’s shoulder and pulled him into a side hug while he kept singing.

“What, Am I Normal Or Not?

Am I Crazier Than Other Patients?

Right, I've Done Everything Right

So Where's The Karma Doc, I've Lost My Patience

“'Cause I've Been So Good, I've Been Working My Ass Off

I've Been So Good, Still, I'm Lonely And Stressed Out

I've Been So Good, I've Been So Good This Year

And I've Been So Good, But It's Still Getting Harder

I've Been So Good, Where The Hell Is The Karma?

I've Been So Good, I've Been So Good This Year”

Tang’s blank expression began to fall during the bridge as the upbeat music contrasted with the lyrics sung so far.

“Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah

Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah

Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah

Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah

Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah

I've Been So Good This Year

I've Been So Good This Year”

The music grew quiet as Tang gripped at Sandy’s arm. Tears began to spill from his eyes as his tone changed from dejected to pleading as he sang the final few lines.

“Time, I Know We're Out Of Time

But What If Sad Thoughts Come And I Can't Stop It?

Bye, I Don't Wanna Say Bye

If Only I Could Keep You In My Pocket

To Give Me Some Diagnosis Of Why I'm So Hollow

Please Give Me Instructions, I Promise I'll Follow

I Tripped On My Ankle And Banged Up My Elbow

But Doesn't That Mean That Our Plan Will Go Well Though?

I Try To Explain The Good Faith That's Been Wasted

But After An Hour It Sounds Like Complaining

Wait, Don't Go Away, Can I Lie Here Forever?

You Say That I'm Better

Why Don't I Feel Better?

The Universe Works In Mysterious Ways

But I'm Starting To Think It Ain't Working For Me

Doctor, Should I Be Good?

Should I Be Good This Year?”

Tang sobbed as Sandy pulled him into a full hug.

“It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair…”

“Shh. I know it’s not. I’m here.”

Tang just continued to cry into Sandy’s shoulder. The song had dredged up emotions he hadn’t realized he had been feeling. He would probably feel better about getting them out in the open in a few days. But right now? He resented being forced to perform such hard emotional labor against his will.

Today was a bad day for Tang.

----------

The weather stayed relatively mild after the month-long storm finally broke. If it did snow it would usually only last for a day or two before returning to mostly sunny skies. The eight of them spent quite a bit of time outdoors, building snowmen or starting snowball fights. They even occasionally had late night campfires, drinking hot cocoa and looking up at the brilliantly shining stars.

Being able to leave the ship and stretch their leg was doing wonders on their mental health. Everyone was rather cheerful in spite of the cold. Of course, sometimes it was just better to huddle together indoors next to a cozy fire.

Tang sighed as he leaned against Pigsy. It was nice to just sit around in a comfortable silence every once and a while. This time he knew everyone was enjoying themselves if the gentle whispers he heard were any indication.

He blinked in surprise when he felt Pigsy begin to stroke the fur on his head. It was rather nice actually. He began to lean into his touch, trying to get him to apply more pressure. Pigsy chuckled and got the hint, beginning to lightly scratch Tang’s scalp.

“A little lower,” Tang muttered. “Oh! Oh yeah right there…”

Tang’s leg began to bounce. Then Pigsy shifted his fingers slightly to just behind his ear. Tang moaned as his foot began to thump rapidly against the floor. It was pure bliss.

Tang cracked an eye open when he heard someone giggle. Mei was holding her phone up, most likely recording the interaction. Not the minded really, but he couldn’t let her just get away with it.

“You better delete that before I take your phone,” he threatened playfully, still thumping his foot.

“Make me!”

“Alright.”

He leapt up without warning, causing Mei to squeal and dash out of the way. Tang chased her around the room, ‘missing’ her by just inches as he tried to grab her. He pretended to trip over things or overextend himself in his pursuit, earning giggles and laughter from his prey and their audience.

“It seems the dragon is too quick for the rabbit,” Tang gasped over-dramatically several minutes later. “I must admit defeat!”

“Hell yeah!” Mei did a victory lap around the room as the others all cheered along.

Tang felt a warmth growing in his chest as he watched the scene. His eyes grew heavy and a soft smile spread across his face. He sat down in front of the fireplace while facing everyone. Then he flopped over on his side and started purring.

“Tang?” Pigsy got up and knelt next to his partner. “Are you alright?”

“Happy,” Tang managed to say between his purrs. “Safe.”

“Isn’t this another one of those things that rabbits do?” MK asked.

“Yup,” Wukong confirmed. “They lay on their sides like that only when they feel completely at ease and unthreatened.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Mei cooed. “But the floor can’t be that comfortable.”

“Cuddle pile!” MK declared. He grabbed the blankets and pillows he’d been resting with and moved them over in front of the fireplace. The others all joined in and soon they were all snuggled comfortably together.

“Why don’t you tell us a story, Macaque,” MK suggested as he leaned against Red Son.

“Me?”

“Yeah.” MK gestured to where Tang was laying, completely blissed out as Mei began braiding his fur. “I don’t think our other storyteller is up to it right now.”

“Mmmm…” Tang agreed, only partially aware of what was going on through his haze of contentment.

“Well… alright.”

Tang closed his eyes as Macaque’s deep, soothing voice filled the room. He was happy. He was safe. Moments like this really made it worth it to keep going.

----------

Winter passed without any further problems. The days began to grow longer once again. The snow melted faster than it could fall. Before they knew it, Spring had arrived.

Tang dodged out of the way of Red Son’s grasp with a laugh. The early Spring air was still rather chilly, but it was certainly warm enough for the game of tag they were playing. They had made the decision to spend one last week in their clearing before returning to the artifact hunt. They all spent as much time outdoors as possible, as if to give one last goodbye to their temporary settlement.

It was somewhat bittersweet, if Tang was to be honest. On one hand, this location had become like a second home once they had pushed past their depression in the first month. He would miss the now familiar trees and rocks he had come to recognize from his leisurely walks. On the other hand, he was getting a bit sick of the airship and being on the move in general. He was looking forward to when the journey was finally over and he could return to his apartment in Megapolis with Pigsy.

He did his best to ignore the nagging worry that the cycle would end before that managed to happen.

Tang jumped back to avoid a swipe from MK and refocused on the game. He was the last one who hadn’t been tagged this round. It seemed he was being herded in a specific direction…

Tang’s ears swiveled as he heard someone come up behind him. At the same time Mei and Red Son approached from either side with MK from the front, cutting off his escape.

A jolt of adrenaline spiked through him as his rabbit instincts screamed at him that he was cornered. He needed to escape! Acting automatically, he let out a pulse of magic as he rapidly tapped his foot on the ground twice.

A hole opened up in the ground next to him and Tang quickly hopped in. He was in a tunnel. The hole above him closed. He ran forward a few feet and looked up. He pulsed his magic again and a new hole opened. He leapt out and looked around. He was now several meters away from everyone.

Tang blinked as his mind reset from autopilot.

What the hell had just happened?

“What the hell?!” Red Son exclaimed, mirroring Tang’s own feelings.

“Whoa, that was so cool!” MK said as everyone came rushing over. “How did you do that?”

“I- I don’t know,” Tang shrugged. “My instincts were telling me I was cornered and I needed to escape so I just-” Tang pulsed his magic and tapped his foot, opening another hole, “-did that. I only ran what felt like a couple feet down a tunnel before hopping back out, but now I’m all the way over here.”

“Holy shit,” Macaque breathed as he looked between the hole and Tang. “I’ve only heard rumors about this. No one I know has been able to confirm if it was real or not!”

“Care to share with the rest of the class whatever it is you’re talking about,” Wukong snarked.

“This… This is an extremely rare form of magic,” Macaque explained, completely absorbed in examining the hole and not seeming to hear the taunt in Wukong’s voice. “Rumored to exclusively be used by rabbit demons. There’s quite a bit of speculation, but if what you said is true…”

“What is it?” Tang’s curiosity was piqued. What could be so impressive to get Macaque this excited?

“Do it again,” Macaque requested. “Jump into the tunnel then walk exactly ten steps in that direction-” he pointed towards the far side of the clearing, “-and jump back out. If what I’ve heard is true, then… Well, you’ll see for yourself.”

“Alright.” Tang tapped his foot and closed the hole before tapping again and reopening it.

“Wait, why did you do that?” Macaque demanded.

“The tunnel wasn’t facing the right way,” Tang responded. He blinked. “I’m… not sure how I knew that.”

“That’s… You changed the direction of the tunnel just by closing it and reopening it?!” Macaque was grinning like he had just been promised all the riches in the world. “Okay, okay, this is huge. Do what I asked and if this works, it will change everything.”

“This won’t hurt Tang, will it?” Pigsy asked suspiciously.

“If what I’ve heard is right, he has literally nothing to be afraid of,” Macaque reassured. “I promise you all that this is a good thing.”

“I trust him,” Tang said as he prepared to jump into the tunnel. “See you in a minute.”

The hole closed up behind him again as he landed. Now that he wasn’t running on instinct, he could examine his surroundings. The tunnel was huge, nearly three meters across on all sides and seeming to stretch off into the distance with no end in sight. The walls were covered in glowing plants that gave off a surprising amount of light. There was a gentle breeze that smelled strongly of Earth, and Life, and Magic.

Tang was a bit unnerved as he seemed to feel a connection to this place. Almost as if it was a part of him in some way. Shaking off the strange thought he walked down the tunnel.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

Tang looked up and pulsed his magic. A hole opened up in the ceiling of the tunnel and Tang crouched before springing up and out. Thank goodness he could easily make such a jump as a rabbit, or else he’d have to find a way to climb out.

The hole closed as he stood and he looked around. His jaw dropped. He was on the other side of the clearing, nearly thirty meters away from where he had started!

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT IT’S TRUE!” Macaque shouted from where the others all were. He began laughing wildly, glowing a bright purple.

“You better get back over here Tang, before Macaque has an aneurysm,” Wukong called out.

Tang quickly jogged over. Macaque had stopped laughing and was now pacing back and forth, his tail lashing out in excitement.

“Will you please explain what’s going on,” Wukong said in annoyance.

“Alright, alright.” Macaque took a breath and smiled widely. “There were always rumors about how rabbit demons would be able to escape from anywhere so long as they had access to the Earth. Dirt, sand, rock, it didn’t matter what, they’d be able to use it to get away.

“A few centuries ago, new rumors about impossible tunnels began to circulate alongside the original ones. Tunnels that could take you miles away from where you were in just a few steps. These stories came from humans who claimed to have been rescued by rabbit demons in some way.

“Recently, a few decades ago, a notorious thief that was known to get into vaults that were warded to Heaven and back with the best protection spells available was caught. They were a rabbit demon. When they interrogated them on how he had managed to get into the vaults, all they had said was that they had access to some ‘big pockets’. They also pointed out each vault had some form of Earth within it.

“They escaped before they could get more information out of them, but that little bit sent the scholars and magicians of the demon world into a frenzy. Theory after theory was discussed. It was only about seven years ago that a single hypothesis was accepted by the community.

“Not that any rabbit demons that were asked would confirm or deny it.”

“Spit it out already!” Wukong growled in frustration.

“No taste for a dramatic reveal, I swear,” Macaque rolled his eyes. “Fine then.

“Based on the theory going around and what we just saw, Tang has unlocked a rabbit demon exclusive magic that allows him to summon tunnels that exist in a parallel pocket dimension to Earth. These tunnels warp space within them and allow Tang to travel across vast distances in an extremely short time. They can also bypass any wards or protective spells imaginable so long as there’s a patch of Earth within them. Going with the stories of the rescued humans, Tang should be able to bring anyone he wants along with him as well.”

There was a stunned silence for a moment as they all absorbed that.

“Fuck, that does change everything,” Wukong said in awe.

“Right?!” Macaque gushed. “Imagine the implications this has on modern magical theory! Or the fact that only rabbit demons seem to have access to this ability! What this could mean for travel and transportation if we get permission to study it properly! It’s no wonder the Rabbit Kingdom hasn’t been found in over a millennia! You probably can’t get to it without access to the tunnels! Hell, it might be in the center of the Earth for all we know!”

“Uh, I meant this changes everything in how we could deal with Lady Bone Demon,” Wukong admitted sheepishly.

“Oh,” Macaque deflated a bit. “Yeah. It’ll probably help a lot with that too.”

“Don’t worry Macaque,” Tang said as gave the dejected monkey a pat on the back. “I’m actually really interested in discussing the theory behind this.”

“As am I,” Red Son agreed.

“Great!” Macaque perked back up with that. “I am so glad I suggested you turn yourself into a rabbit. Otherwise we wouldn’t have this amazing opportunity to study such a unique form of magic.”

“If I recall, you were only half serious when you did so,” Sandy pointed out in amusement. “So at best you only get half credit for this happening.”

“I’ll take it!”

“Let’s talk about how this can help with taking down Lady Bone Demon first,” Wukong said with a fond chuckle. “Once she’s dealt with you can have as much time as you want researching this.”

“As… as long as I don’t have to actually face her,” Tang swallowed. “I don’t think I’d be able to do that.”

“If I’m right about the tunnels, then there’s a strong chance you won’t even have to go near her,” Macaque reassured. “You can just drop us off inside the city past the wards and retreat a few miles away.”

“That... yeah I’m good with that.”

“We still need to get the Spring artifact first,” MK reminded them all.

“If it’s like the others, that should be a piece of cake,” Mei boasted.

“We’re almost done,” Tang realized. “We’re… we’re actually really close to being able to go home.”

“We can do this,” Wukong encouraged. “One last push. Are we all up for it?”

Tang joined in with everyone else as they raised their fists and cheered.

It all felt a little surreal to him. Not even a year ago he had been struggling with his memories and trauma and Species Dysphoria.

Now he felt more comfortable being himself as a rabbit demon than he ever had as a human. That in turn had allowed him to discover an ability that could tip the scales heavily in their favor.

It seemed the gift from his timeline’s Sandy was indeed working as intended.

He just hoped there was enough time in the cycle left to enjoy himself once Lady Bone Demon was taken care of.

----------

The plan went off without a hitch.

Tang used his tunnels to bypass the wards around the city and dropped the others off within its limits. While he retreated back to where they parked the ship, they had wielded the four seasonal artifacts against Lady Bone Demon. They successfully managed to separate her from the poor girl she was possessing before sealing her and the Mayor away.

Peace was restored to Magapolis, and Tang was able to enjoy his life with the ones he loved.

He spent quality romantic time with Pigsy.

He supported MK through the more permanent transformation process as he attempted to become a monkey.

He went flying with Mei once she unlocked her dragon form.

He drank tea and went on boat rides with Sandy.

He meditated and discussed philosophy with Wukong.

He helped Red Son patch things up with his parents.

He swapped historical stories and magical theories with Macaque.

A year and a half passed, and Tang could not recall a time when he was filled with so much joy.

----------

Tang was in Safety.

Oh. That meant the cycle had ended.

Tang clasped a paw to his mouth and choked back a sob.

The cycle had ended.

He had known it was coming. Some sixth sense had tickled at the back of his mind. He had made sure to fill the last few weeks with wonderful experiences with his family from this timeline.

Experiences they would no longer remember.

They were gone.

Tears flowed down his face as he fell to his knees and let out a keening whine.

He would never see those versions of his family again. So similar to each and every version of themselves, but wholly unique as well. He loved each of them dearly, but would never get to speak to them again. It wouldn’t be long before his memories of them faded and blurred with time, lost forever.

Something thumped to the ground next to him. Wiping his eyes, Tang turned and found… A book?

Tang picked up the book and examined the cover. It was a beautiful illustration of a rabbit with chocolate and reddish brown fur surrounded by a pig, a shark, three monkeys, a dragon, and a bull. At the four corners of the cover were stylizations of the four seasonal artifacts.

Curious, Tang flipped open the book. He gasped as he was filled with vivid visions of his time in the cycle. His memories of the events played with perfect detail and clarity in his mind. The emotions and thoughts he had throughout could be felt with full force. It was a perfect recollection of everything that had happened.

Tang clutched the book to his chest and began sobbing once more. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve such a gift, but he would cherish it always. He would keep the memories of this cycle in a special place in his heart and vowed to never forget them.

The ground lifted up in front of him. It formed a tunnel large enough for a human to walk through leading slightly downwards. Tang walked down the tunnel and nearly started sobbing again as he discovered a perfect replica of his room on board the airship.

In the center of the room stood a gleaming lectern. Engraved on the sides were events and experiences from his time in the cycle. Tang placed the book on the empty surface, causing both it and the lectern to flash for a moment.

Smiling to himself, Tang left the burrow and exited back out into Safety. He looked around the area and paused as his eyes fell upon the library.

If that book held his memories of the cycle he just left, did that mean…?

Before he could think on it further, the brilliant ring above him flashed and he was bathed in golden-yellow light.

----------

Tang woke up. He was in his apartment.

Alone.

Human.

Shutting his eyes he quickly calmed his breathing and circulated his magic. He sighed in relief a few minutes later as he finished transforming into his preferred form.

Standing to stretch, Tang made his way to the restroom. He had fixed his second problem. Now to see what he was working with for the first.

He looked into his reflection, smiling at the rabbit that looked back.

“My name is Tang.”

It was a few days after the incident at the weather station. That was pretty early on. Nothing else was out of the ordinary from what he could tell.

Perfect.

He sent out a group text asking his family to join him at his apartment. He had something extremely important to tell them.

Tang waited in his bedroom as they gathered. Pigsy had tried to get him to come out before the rest arrived, but he said he wanted to wait for everyone so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself. Once he received the text that they had all arrived, Tang took a breath and joined them all in the living room.

“Hey, guys.”

The looks on their faces when they saw him were priceless.

He couldn’t help it. He started to laugh.

“Tang, what the hell?!” Pigsy pointed at him in shock. “You’re a rabbit! And you’re glowing!”

“Y-yes, I- hahaha- I know.”

“What the hell is going on?!”

“Sorry, sorry. I promise you it’s nothing bad.” Tang calmed his breathing and made his way to the front of the living room to face his four friends. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but the spell I’m under requires me to tell you a story first.”

“Spell?” Sandy said in concern.

“Story?” MK said with enthusiasm. “Is it as cool as all the others you tell?”

“It might be,” Tang smiled. “It’s not finished yet, but I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me add on to it.”

“That sounds interesting,” Mei said. “Well get on with it, bunny boy!”

Tang laughed, shining brightly, and did just that. “Once upon a time, there was a Storyteller.”

----------

Congrats on making it to the end! I hope you liked it!

I really love this chapter and am super pleased with how it came out. This is the first step in what I’m calling “The Healing Arc” where Tang recovers from the trauma induced by LBD. Hoping the rest of the story comes out as well as this chapter!

The Giggle Glow AU by @animemoonprincess is just super fun and super cozy and perfect for our first step back into real fluff. Also shout out to @ninja-knox-ur-sox-off for the chocolate wafers and orange juice!

I’m really bad at describing what Tang’s fur looks like. Here’s two references of the real rabbit breed I based it off: One & Two

The Seasonal Artifacts were something I made up last minute. I don't have any ideas for the one for Spring, so if you have some thoughts please share them!

I had to include the musical curse. I had to. The song choices were changed around right up to the point I wrote each scene (minus the last one which was locked in from the start) but here’s the credits in order:

Smile by Uncle Kracker - Listen, this is just a very feel good song that I think fits MK’s attitude. The scene was originally going to have MK try cheering them all up with Make Them Laugh from Singing In The Rain, but he kinda went on that rant and I needed something else. This was the first thing that popped into my head and it worked really well.

Frozen Heart by the Cast of Frozen - I was originally going to find a sea shanty for this part. But then I realized this had the same cadence as a work song which fit just as well. I was able to incorporate it into another scene later too which was nice.

Karma by AJR - This song is very important to me. I was in a deep depressive funk back in 2021 but didn’t really notice. Then I saw a Monkie Kid Animatic set to a part of this song. I searched out the whole thing and listening to it left a deep impact on me. I looked up and binged all of Monkie Kid after that and started writing Scattered Cicadas shortly after. This fic literally wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for this song. However, I try not to listen to it too often due to how sad it leaves me. But I still think this song is incredibly important for many people on the road to recovery, like Tang here, as it lets them know they aren’t alone in their experiences.

Pass It On by Kurt Hugo Schneider - Another original by Kurt Hugo Schneider just like the one in the previous chapter. This song. This song. It’s honestly the ultimate pick-me-up. The simple yet heartfelt lyrics combined with genius percussion provided by the coke bottles? Brilliant. One of my absolute favorite songs that will never fail to fill me up with joy.

Honorable Mention: Do You Want To Build A Snowman, also from Frozen. Cut down in its prime before it had the chance to flourish.

Absolute huge, enormous, gigantic shout out to the absolutely wonderful @skellebonez! They’ve been a constant source of support as I worked hard on this chapter and I honestly couldn’t have done it without them! Their Bunny Tang fic, Cotton Tails and Borrowed Time, was also a huge inspiration for quite a bit of this chapter. Go check it out as well as the follow up that explores alternate endings and scenes!

What else? Oh yes, the tunnels. AKA, Bunnymund’s tunnels from Rise of the Guardians. Look, they were just too awesome to pass up. When you have a cool magical rabbit character, you have to give them cool magical rabbit holes that warp space time and bypass all magics. That’s just the rules!

Also Macaque being a magical theory and history nerd is just really, really good.

The ending was pretty bittersweet for what was supposed to be a fluff chapter, but I think I stuck the landing with a hopeful feeling in the last bit.

My life is about to get hectic here in the New Year with a potential job that would require me to move states. I’m not sure when I’ll get the time to sit down and start the next chapter, but it unfortunately won’t be any time soon.

I do know the next chapter absolutely will not be as long as these last two novella length monsters. I don’t think I could physically handle that.

Thank you again so much for reading! Let me know what parts you liked! Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!

#Monkie Kid #LEGO Monkie Kid #Scattered Cicadas #Giggle Glow AU #animemoonprincess #Tang #Bunny Tang #Smile Uncle Kracker #Frozen Heart #Karma AJR #Pass It On Kurt Hugo Schneider #ninja-knox-ur-sox-off #skellebonez #Cotton Tails and Borrowed Time

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