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nehswritesstuffs · 3 months ago

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a good son, a better person

4969 words; for @gendervapor14, for whom I wanted to write this for their birthday, but it’s hella late, so Happy Belated Birthday and Merry Early Christmas; I often wonder about the psychology behind people like Sengoku bc it’s just so interesting how they compartmentalize things; I would recommend reading the original story this is derived from, as this is supposed to be a companion piece (the gist of it is it’s an AU where Corazón and Bell-mère live and then raise their canon foundlings (plus Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo) in Cocoyasi); might get a bit more edited further on but don’t expect much

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sengoku glanced over at the little boy sleeping soundly on his office couch, the lad completely tuckered out from the day he’d had. He had found him outside Mary Geoise, sobbing his eyes out and hungry, and he felt as though he’d had no choice but to take him in or else he would starve. The child had eaten two adults’ worth of food before falling asleep, completely ignoring the adults in the room.

“This is going to backfire,” Tsuru said calmly. She and Garp were there in their old friend’s office, having came immediately once they heard the news about the foundling. While she seemed to be there in empathy, all Garp was doing was eating rice crackers in glee.

“Brat’s a Fallen Dragon,” Garp scoffed. “The big bosses are gonna be pissed.”

“He’s just a boy,” Sengoku frowned. “He didn’t ask for this.”

“Whether he asked for it or not is not part of the equation and you know it,” Tsuru reminded him. She seemed so calm, despite the fact it was clear the boy wrapped up in the Admiral’s coat was putting her on-edge; both her comrades knew her long enough to be aware of that. “What happens when they decide they want him dead?”

“They wouldn’t want that… they don’t even want to look at him…”

“…and they might solve that risk by wanting him out of the equation for good.” Tsuru sighed and shook her head. “One of your worst enemies is not a Celestial Dragon, but their memory, not to mention their mercurial whims.”

“They’re so self-absorbed they can’t remember if they shat yesterday or not,” Garp guffawed through a cracker.

“Some of them,” Tsuru agreed, “but it’s the ones who do remember that are the problems.” She exhaled heavily and looked at the child. “You sure you want to raise him? Dragons are very particular, Fallen Dragons especially. There will be plenty of challenges.”

“I will raise him to be a great Marine; might even have more potential than Garp’s Dragon…”

“Ah; you’re just jealous I got a kid through the Academy and you didn’t,” Garp smirked. “My Dragon’s a stubborn shit though… might end up being more a wild card than me.”

“I can hardly wait,” Sengoku deadpanned. Another wild card out of the same gene pool that brought forth Garp was honestly one of the last things he wanted to experience, even if said genes were only working at half-power. He glanced over at the boy to see that he was curled up and shivering—a bad dream. With a sigh, he went to the boy’s side, sitting down so he could rest a hand against him, calming the lad instantly. Seas, he was tiny…

“What’s his name?” Tsuru asked. Sengoku blinked at that—huh, he hadn’t said it yet?

“Donquixote Rosinante,” he replied. He turned back to the boy and smoothed his mop of blond curls. “Don’t worry, Rosi. You’ll be safe with me.”

‘I’ve got your boy, Saint Homing; you’re going to be proud.’

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As it turned out, the Celestials did tolerate a Fallen Dragon being raised within a stone’s throw of their home. In fact, some of them even relished in the idea, the boy’s circumstances amusing them beyond what Sengoku could have imagined. He raised the boy to be a fine Marine, to be an advocate for Justice, to work hard and possibly even succeed himself in the place of Admiral. The boy even had friends within the system, just as Sengoku did, the lot of them pushing one another towards greatness.

There was one friend in particular, however, that Sengoku wasn’t entirely fond of. A year older despite being in the same class, she was from an Eastern backwater that never saw high or low of anything. She was trouble and he knew that from the start. It wasn’t until her that his boy started getting caught smoking, or was found with his uniform rumpled and out-of-place, or his mind started to drift elsewhere during lessons. Sengoku knew where—he too was only a man—but it worried him that this punk with a pair of sideshaves was causing a loss of focus… a lack of direction… and it brought worry that the Fallen Dragon was liable to slip further into something that he could not be lifted out from.

Then, one day, not long before his graduation ceremony, Sengoku’s boy took him by surprise.

Donquixote Rosinante wanted to take his brother down.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Before you go dark, there’s something I wanted to ask you, son.”

Sengoku watched as Rosinante stopped sorting his papers and contemplated turning to face him. The boy was too young and stubborn to be making such decisions, but since when did the young take their elders’ advice? Eventually, he went back to sorting.

“What is it?”

“That girl you were seeing while you were both cadets…”

“Bell-mère.”

“Yes. She was the one who took those orphans from Oykot and retired, correct?”

Rosinante’s hands began to tremble and he looked at Sengoku. “Why…?”

“I was thinking… and… do you think you can convince her to come back?”

“She’s not going to let the naval daycare raise those girls, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Rosinante replied. He went back to his personal papers in an attempt to seem too busy to talk. “Besides, she’s out of this game.”

“What if… she didn’t have to rely on the naval daycare?” Sengoku asked. The question hung heavily on the air, settling between them like a thick haze. “You know I’m old enough to retire.”

“You didn’t do anything for them before, so why start now?”

Sengoku knew the lad’s words were meant to sting, yet he didn’t feel anything. He was used to such accusations, after all. “As a member of the military, my hands are tied. However, as a retiree…” He trailed off, his eyes moving towards a messy stack of papers on his son’s bed. “I know how much she means to you.”

“You never seemed to care before this.”

“I was never sending my son into a demon’s den.”

Rosinante stopped going through papers, his hands shaky. “I’m going to come back, Dad, but before that I have to stop Doffy.”

“…and I don’t want that to take so long that they miss the opportunities they would have had if you were around… if I could help…”

“I already tried—she doesn’t want the girls raised on a base.”

“Then we can live off-base. Rosinante…”

“I’ll think about it,” the younger man said, tone almost a bit too sharp. “You know… they told me I had to go somewhere before heading over to Doffy to help cover my tracks. Maybe I’ll go there.”

“You will keep me informed, will you?”

His son didn’t answer and maybe… maybe it was for the best.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

To offer up one’s heart is a terrible thing.

They don’t know how precious it is, how precious they are, and can treat it casually and accidentally chip it.

Except, sometimes they know precisely how they should handle it, and that is by letting it slip from their fingers and shatter on the cold, hard ground. How could they possibly be in the wrong, when the one to blame is clearly you?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Did you talk to her?” Sengoku asked. The snail on his desk frowned.

“You shouldn’t know that,” it replied in Rosinante’s voice.

“I am the Fleet Admiral; not a lot gets past me.”

Silence—the snail seemed to muse sourly.

“I did what I went there to do.”

“Then, what did she say?”

“It… never came up.”

“How could it never come up? I thought you were there for a few days.”

“It just… didn’t.” The snail looked almost melancholy. “Gonna go dark for a bit. Catch you in about six months for my check-in.”

“Rosinante?” The snail lifted an eyebrow. “Be careful.”

The snail went to sleep and that was that.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Missing.

Tsuru assured Sengoku that her troops had scoured the island—Rosinante was nowhere to be found on Minion Island, let alone any of the other neighboring islands. There was evidence of Birdcage survivors in one of the houses, but the cooking fire was out cold and there were bear tracks outside—there wasn’t much hope for whomever had lived there, let alone anyone who might have taken shelter there in the meantime.

Sure, he had sent a letter of resignation, but without the ability to confirm the date, what did he have except a sense of hope that felt more false than anything?

There was no funeral, though there was a mourning period. Most people kept their distance from the Fleet Admiral whether they knew why he was testy or not. The only ones who really came around were Garp (annoyingly), Tsuru (at least she was supportive), and a teen who had been picked up on Minion… whose father had dragged him along when defecting from the military. It was an interesting choice, for Tsuru to bring the lad to Sengoku, and yet having the youngster around… it felt more right than it deserved to be.

To hell with Diez Barrels; if he wasn’t going to raise his boy to be the Marine he was destined to be, then Sengoku sure as hell would.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Time passed.

No word from any of the intelligence agencies about Rosinante. They must have looked through all the North Blue without uncovering a trace.

Drake grew into a fine Marine.

A child with a familiar name started gaining a name for himself in the North Blue via petty trouble.

Sengoku still felt lonely.

All anyone could do was carry on.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a lull in an otherwise stormy day when Sengoku got the mysterious letter, completely out of the blue. He stared at the envelope curiously. There was no return address, no identifying marks to inform him what was in his hands. It didn’t seem dangerous… and if it truly was, the sniffer snails would have caught it before it reached his inbox…

Carefully, he slid his finger under the envelope flap and broke the seal. Once opened, it yielded a folded-up piece of paper and a smaller envelope that was only folded shut. He opened the paper and began to read the letter, the author’s handwriting young and unfamiliar.

‘Fleet Admiral Sengoku,’ it read. ‘My name is Nojiko and I live on an island in a Cardinal Blue with my parents and little sister Nami. I have four brothers who you know about too, but I haven’t seen them in a long time.’

Huh…? Why was this girl writing him? How did he know her brothers? Who gave her access to his private office…?

‘Mom and Dad would be livid if they knew I wrote you. It’s not that we’re not allowed to contact you, but they don’t want to be found. I don’t think it’s about you specifically, but the people you are around. They don’t trust Navy Headquarters. To be honest? I can’t blame them.

‘Enclosed is a peace offering. Keep it safe. Consider this the only time we’ll talk unless my parents say otherwise or it’s an emergency.

‘With love,

‘Donquixote Nojiko’

Sengoku sucked in a breath—Donquixote?! He trembled as he picked up the other envelope and nearly cut his finger on the paper flap as he freed it and its contents.

There, clear as day, was a pair of photographs. The topmost one was not just anyone in the snail-captured image, but his son Rosinante all clean-faced and awkward limbs. He was wearing a nice suit that matched the other adult, someone that he had not seen in ages… the same one who his son had been involved with all those years ago. A pair of young teenaged girls were also there, throwing flower petals in the air. They were all smiles and laughter—it was a joyful day.

Sengoku missed his elder son’s wedding.

“Nojiko…” he whispered, looking at the photo. She must have been the teen with the darker skin and blueish hair—the kid with the ginger hair and pale skin looked like the younger of the two. Yes… these were the babies that the Cocoyasi woman left the military to raise… the ones she refused to bring on base longer than it took to be told there was little that could be done for them… his granddaughters.

Sengoku was missing seeing his granddaughters grow up.

Suddenly, a knock at the door shook him from his own thoughts. He looked towards the door and saw Drake, the younger man’s expression incredibly sheepish.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” he asked. Sengoku blinked as he tried to remember why he summoned him—the shock of the letter had made him completely forget.

“Take a look at this,” he said, holding out the photo. Drake took it and stared, brow knitting in concentration. “That is Rosinante. Recently, I might add.”

“Where’d you get this?”

“The girl on the left sent it through the private channel.” Sengoku watched Drake as he studied the image.

“These… are my nieces, aren’t they?” the younger man asked softly. He seemed nearly in awe at the idea.

“If Rosinante had come home, they would have been, yes,” Sengoku confirmed. “My guess is that he wants some time away from Headquarters before returning. I wouldn’t blame him if that was the case.” At least, that was what he told himself.

“Their names…?” Drake seemed hesitant; could Sengoku blame him?

“Nojiko and Nami.”

“Then let’s hope Nojiko and Nami are smarter than their brothers.”

“With that mother of theirs? Not a chance in hell.” Drake passed back the photo, a pensive look on his face. “Then you really think those hoodlums in the North are the ones?”

“Without a doubt,” Sengoku confirmed. He looked at the other photograph now in his hand, one of the sisters with four young men who he knew were making a splash around the North Blue. Not enough to need bounties yet, but they were putting their marks on things nonetheless. Bepo, Penguin, Shachi, and Law, now joined by Nojiko and Nami; none of them looked like his eldest son, and frankly they were mostly of a better age to be Rosi’s younger siblings, yet he knew they were all the best chances he had at grandchildren. “That wasn’t why I called you here.”

Drake raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t?”

Sengoku shook his head. “I need to talk to you about SWORD.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“They did what?!” Sengoku went pale as Garp cackled on the couch and Tsuru stared him down. “You can’t be serious!”

“Deadly,” Tsuru replied. She laid a stack of reports down on his desk. “These are my findings after going on my usual rounds of the North. Seems like your grandsons are into the concept of freeing slaves.”

“Those boys have moral backbone—you should be proud, Senny,” Garp guffawed through his tea. “Wonder if they came that way or if Rosi had anything to do with it.”

“Damned if I know,” Sengoku said. He was going paler and paler with each line of text, going over the lads’ exploits. They were now gaining members to their crew and some of them may or may not have been former slaves. “They’re going to be the death of me.”

“No, just the death of the color in your hair,” Garp snarked. Sengoku resisted the urge to physically throw Garp out—the last thing he needed was to tussle with the man who regularly threw hands with the Pirate King and do so in his office. “How long do you think before Brannew catches on?”

“When I’m good and dead, with any luck.” Sengoku scowled. “Maybe if I threaten the Bounties Division, I might be able to pull something.”

“Pull what?” Garp snorted. “They’re a bunch of goddamned criminals no matter how you spin it.”

“Are you thinking ‘Alive Only’?” Tsuru wondered. Sengoku’s silence on the matter was rather telling. “You better have a damn good excuse for it before you go, or else you’re going to have more than just Brannew to answer to.”

“The son I found had a hand in raising these kids—I want to meet them first before it gets decided what goes on their bounties,” Sengoku rationalized. “I don’t care if the powers higher than me get their feathers ruffled. As Fleet Admiral, I need to know.”

“As a grandparent, you mean,” Garp teased. “They’re good boys; you should be proud.”

“What happened to them being ‘goddamned criminals’?” Tsuru deadpanned. Garp shrugged, barely able to contain his laughter.

Asshole.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As it turned out, Brannew didn’t ask for an excuse as to why issue the lads’ bounties as Alive Only. No one in Bounties even blinked at the suggestion. It was almost as though it was… expected…? Sengoku took it as a minor miracle and went back to his office as though nothing at all happened. All he did was ask Tsuru to keep him in the loop when it came to the rag-tag quartet out of the North and if he needed to get more involved. She did not respond, though within a month there was a dossier on his desk following a certain crew’s movements.

If this was as close as he could get, then so be it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Stay away from my children, do you hear me?”

“I’m the only thing keeping those kids from being hunted down like animals.”

“Wouldn’t that get in the way of Justice? You always did wear your guilt a little differently.”

The door slammed, Rosinante leaving in an instant.

Sengoku woke up with a gasp, nearly falling off the couch as he came to in his new (and still box-filled) office. Someone was knocking at the door; that explained that. His elder son’s words from the week prior rattled about in his brain as he lethargically got up to answer whomever disturbed his nap.

“You know, I always felt sorry for Garp growing up. I guess it’s his son and surviving grandson I should pity.”

He had spoken those words with a venom that Sengoku had never known from him—what had happened to his boy there in the East? Why was it so easy for him to walk away? He opened the door and saw the absolute last person he wanted to look at that current moment, his very presence the beginnings of a monster headache.

“What do you want, Garp?” His colleague had the biggest shit-eating grin he had seen on the man in a long time, which he was honestly too tired to be more concerned over. “Have Kuzan and Sakazuki worked out who’s replacing me yet?”

“Nah; I hear that’s probably gonna come to a duel. I’m here because of this.” Garp held up a newspaper that had been opened to the seventh page, a blurry photograph accompanying a rather concerning headline.

EX-NAVAL OFFICERS JOIN REVOLUTIONARY ARMY – INTELLIGENCE LEAKED?

“Seas below,” Sengoku cursed. He took the paper and looked at the article closer. “What the fuck does your boy have on mine that made them do that?!”

“I just got done running this through Intelligence—they’re there of their own accord,” Garp replied. “Them’s the breaks, Senny. You can try to raise them into good Marines, but can’t win ‘em all.”

“Garp…”

“Sometimes you lose ‘em to discontent and radicalization, and sometimes they’re smart and join SWORD. You learn to live with it…”

“Garp, do you realize what this means?!” Sengoku smacked the paper with the hand not holding it. “My son and his wife are working against us! Are you even able to conceive of the implications, or did your brain use all its ability to conjure up discontent and radicalization?!”

“Now that’s just mean.”

“I hope for both of our sake that Kuzan gets the Fleet Admiral spot,” Sengoku deadpanned. Garp simply shrugged.

“Got your kettle and rice crackers unpacked yet?”

A beat.

“They’re in the cupboard.”

Garp then made it his mission to push past his old friend and start putting together tea while chattering away, the empty words flowing over Sengoku as he instead looked again at the newspaper, the blurry—yet undeniable—photograph of Rosinante and Bell-mère underneath a Revolutionary Army flag almost too much for him to bear. He hated it, he hated how it made him feel, and he hated wondering what he could have done differently to prevent it. Eventually, Garp shoved some tea in his hands and started blathering on about something. Anything. Whatever it was that would keep his own thoughts at bay.

Was he truly no better than Garp? Was this how he felt? He sipped the tea and nibbled on rice crackers, hoping that the feeling would soon go away.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sengoku’s hair was beginning to gray when he got his next letter, the fact there was two at the same time nearly knocking him out of his chair. They were both slid into a pile of paperwork that one of Tsuru’s subordinates had delivered to him—there was no way it wasn’t at least partially her doing. They looked very similar, as though the senders had been taught the same way in school.

‘Inspector General Sengoku,’ the first one read. The handwriting was familiar—Nojiko.

‘I’ve been following in the papers what’s been going on with your work situation these past few months. It seems like you might now have some free time to possibly visit? Mom and Dad left me in charge of the farm and, although I have help and I get letters from some of them, it’s… difficult. I can do the work, don’t get be wrong, but I’m used to having at least one sibling and parent wandering around and now it’s just me.

‘What did you say to Dad and Mom that made them not come back home? One of their old work friends sent me a message saying that they were going to see you, and now… you know. Is it related to why we never really saw you growing up? Is it related to work? What’s going on?

‘Donquixote Nojiko’

Sengoku’s stomach twisted in a knot. What was he to tell this young woman? He placed the open letter down on the desktop and opened the other, hoping that it would at least be better news. The handwriting was unfamiliar; it wasn’t even the specific lettering he taught Rosinante and Drake to help conceal their communications. He opened the envelope carefully, unsure as to what he would find.

‘Grandfather,’ Sengoku’s heart skipped a beat, ‘Should we call you that? I dunno. Seems a little weird, but our family kind of is in general.

‘We’re going to visit our uncle’s for a while. Not the one who works with you, but the other one, who grew up with Dad and has the big house. We’ll check in with our normal uncle on the way. This might take a bit, because we don’t want Dad’s brother to know what’s going on. We wanted to tell you that in case… well… because our parents don’t know, and neither do our younger siblings. They’d all make too big of a fuss. You’re kind of a neutral party, you know?

‘Wish us luck! Our uncle can be pretty weird, but you know that.’

Sengoku let the paper fall out of his hand and onto the desktop, covering the one from Nojiko. It wasn’t signed, but he knew it was from one of the lads Drake had gotten on the snail. They were headed for Dressrosa…?! Why?! There was no way they were going to join him—either that or they had been extremely talented liars—and what hope did they have of opposing him?! How many good and loyal soldiers had they sent Dressrosa’s way, only for them to become swept up in his antics? There was only so much he could take…

A nudge at his arm and his pet goat bleated in a plea for a snack, glittering black eyes trained on the letters. Sengoku petted its head instead, drawing out a soft protest.

“No, not these ones,” he said. “Not until I know they’re safe.”

…because, really, what other choice did he have?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sometimes, love is rough. It’s distant and feels absent. Life tests it due to one reason or another and picking up the pieces can be as difficult as watching it shatter in the first place.

Did you do enough? Of course you didn’t. Was this how it was supposed to go? Never. Who was the one who allowed the veneer to crack and hairline fractures build and build before it began to truly hurt?

Except, you already know the answer, don’t you? Deep down in your bones, in your soul, and it aches something fierce on those silent nights where it doesn’t take the imagination much to conjure another possibility… a room full of noisy, happy people providing the exact thing that instead claws and festers in their absence.

It hurts sometimes, to love a family, and not entirely know if they love you back.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

When Tsuru told him she was headed to Dressrosa to pick up Doflamingo and his cronies, it was all Sengoku could do to not immediately jump up from his desk and force his way on her ship. She knew she was inviting him—there would be no other reason why she was making mention of it now. With Garp off torturing the youngesters or whatever it was he did these days, it was good for the two of them to get work done without his antics… yeah… that was the excuse.

“You’re tense,” she claimed, watching as he kept his eyes on the horizon.

“Who’s tense?” he scoffed. “Dressrosa is nothing but beautiful women and wonderful food; nothing to worry about.”

Tsuru simply made a noise and left him to his devices, making it clear she didn’t believe him. How could she, when she knew it was not just Doflamingo on the island, but also the ones he had wanted to see for so long… to share a meal with… the ones who he could have had like she Kujaku… she pitied him, in a way, knowing that there was so much to contend with despite his desire to wipe the slate clean.

That was why he bowed, in fact. A sorry old man filled with regret on his hands and knees; he was a sight to behold in the one-room house, weeping openly as his grandchildren hugged him. First it was the bear and the young woman, then the pair who had gone undercover, and finally the now-former Warlord, having needed cajoling by the others to join in. It felt bittersweet, knowing he could have watched them grow from teens, from children, from babies, and now these adults—not much younger than his sons—had lost so much that he could never repay.

“C’mon! Youse guys gotta hurry!” The green-haired idiot who had come in to warn them about Tsuru began to usher everyone out, shivering at the sight of him. Eventually, it was only Sengoku, Rosinante, and Bell-mère in the house, the former never having felt so tired.

“Rosi…” he said softly. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“I don’t know,” Rosinante replied. “It’s… complicated.”

“Will you at least quit the Revolutionary Army?”

“Pshh… no way,” Bell-mère smirked. “We’re finally doing something useful for a change; Dragon’s got the right idea. She nudged Rosinante with a twinkle in her eye; her sense of mischief from her cadet days had not waned. “I’ll see what the kids are up to; can’t let them have all the fun.” She left the house, leaving only father and son.

“Is she…?”

“Yeah; she’s telling the truth. We won’t be coming back.” Rosinante shuffled his feet slightly, looking down at the floor. “Listen… I…”

Sengoku didn’t let him finish before he was hugging him, the action taking the younger man by surprise. Rosinante didn’t know what to do with his arms, hunching slightly until he could cautiously hug back, knowing that it had been a very, very, very long time.

“I’m proud of you,” Sengoku said, voice threatening to break. “Follow this sense of Justice and be a better man than I ever was… better than Homing, even.”

“So you won’t hunt me down? Swear you’ll lock me up like Garp does to Dragon?”

“No.” He held his boy at arm’s length, simply glad to be looking at him again. “There’s a farm in the East I’ve been meaning to visit. I hear they grow some of the best mikan in the Cardinal Blues.”

“Something tells me you’re right.” Rosinante stepped backwards out of his grasp, letting Sengoku’s hands slip away. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now.”

“Depends on what’s waiting outside that door.”

At that, Rosinante turned and ran, hitting his head on the lintel before stumbling outside. Sengoku watched as the younger man floundered around until Bell-mère stopped him from falling over, catching her husband in a grasp that easily allowed her to pull him into a kiss that made all their present children visibly uncomfortable.

It was almost normal, the bonds they had out there under the sun. While Sengoku was proud, he was also envious. Despite working outside the law, they were all so good, while he honestly did not know what he stood for anymore. He watched as they vanished into the distance, waiting until they were out of sight before sitting on the bench outside the small house with his gaze towards the harbor. Everything was peaceful until the rubble from the town began to rise up and start flying around.

Issho did not have a chance.

#One Piece #One Piece fan fiction #Sengoku the Buddha #Vice Admiral Tsuru #Monkey D. Garp #Donquixote Rosinante #X Drake #contains minor Bellazón and Tangerine Hearts

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inkweaver22-blr · 2 years ago

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Happy Easter!

Here’s the first chapter of my next long-fic project! Don’t worry, I’ll still work on Scattered Cicadas as well. For now, please enjoy this chapter! And leave a comment to let me know what you think!

AO3 Link

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Tangerine Fur and Fraying Trust - Chapter One

Cornered in the desert with no way to escape, Tang is forced to break a pact and reveal things about himself in order to protect those he cares about. How will his family, both old and new, react to the secrets he’s been keeping? With enemies pursuing them from all sides, will Tang be able to rekindle the frayed trust in him and overcome the coming darkness? Or will everything be consumed by ice and shadow?

----------

There were many times over the past year that he could have- should have- interfered. Moments where his skills and expertise would have turned the tide in their favor. Advice he could have shared to smooth out various misunderstandings. Knowledge he should have passed down that would have hastened growth. Anything.

Yet he hadn’t. He had watched MK’s journey to becoming a hero passively. Held back at first by fear of retribution, and then by complacency. After all, the young man seemed to be getting the hang of things. No matter how bad the situation got, MK managed to succeed in the end. All without his help.

So he relaxed. Settled back into the role of the eccentric scholar. Offering help that a human with an interest in stories and a penchant for tricking a free bowl of noodles from his partner would be expected to give. Nothing more and nothing less. It wasn’t even that hard. He had quite grown fond of how freeing it was to just be himself without the weight of expectations and preconceived notions holding him back.

MK could handle himself, he had thought. If he couldn’t, his mentor was someone he still had quite a bit of faith in even all these years later. Surely there would be no obstacle they, along with the rest of MK’s family, would not be able to overcome. Revealing himself was simply not necessary.

Tang clenched his fists.

Oh, what a fool he had been.

The appearance of Lady Bone Demon and her theft of MK’s powers and Wukong’s staff had been a splash of icy water in his face. One that washed away his contentment to go with the flow and forced him to take a long look at himself. What he saw disgusted him. He had become lax. Lazy. Allowed his normally sharp senses and instincts to dull. He had committed his personal gravest sin by being inattentive.

If- no- when the others found out about this, they were going to be furious with him. Not that he deserved anything less.

A roar from Mei snapped Tang back to the present. She was surrounded by her dragon aura, blasting apart the mech Macaque piloted for what seemed like the dozenth time. Tang winced as he realized that this was not the time to be fixated on his failings. He needed to pay attention to what was happening now. Damn this new unhealthy habit of focusing on the wrong things and blocking everything else out!

So much had happened in the past forty-eight hours since they fled from Lady Bone Demon. Macaque tracking them down and the airship crashing into the ocean. Being imprisoned by Ao Guang, the Dragon of the East, and then fleeing once more in the RV Sandy had built as Macaque attacked the underwater palace. Barely making it a few hours into the desert before Macaque found them again.

Tang had been reeling from the shock of his own incompetence that he hadn’t been able to react or help properly. Yet another failure. But no more! He needed to take stock of the situation and act.

The RV was destroyed. That had been Macaque’s first action upon catching up to them. Luckily, they had managed to evacuate before he had crushed it underneath the foot of his mech. With the miles of empty desert sand surrounding them, they had no choice but to stand and fight.

Unfortunately, Wukong had gone into a deep meditative trance not even an hour earlier. Leaving them the dire warning to not interrupt him and with MK’s own powers not working, they were without their two heaviest hitters. Mei stepped up and engaged Macaque’s mech with her dragon aura instead.

She had landed a deciding blow, vaporizing a good chunk of the mech. Their celebration was short lived though as it had just started to regenerate. Even now, Macaque’s laughter filled the air as his mech repaired itself from Mei’s most recent attack.

In short, they were trapped with nowhere to run, facing a seemingly unbeatable enemy, and relying solely on Mei who would not last forever to protect them. It was far past time he did something.

Tang took a step forward, but hesitated when the binding around his neck heated up in warning. Even in his weakened and dulled state, there was no doubt he would be able to defeat Macaque with ease. But what then? The RV was reduced to scrap. He doubted anything of use could be made from it even with vehicle manifestation magics. That left them stranded and exposed for the reprisal that would come for breaking his word.

“This isn’t good,” Pigsy said, distracting Tang from his thoughts. “We’ve got nowhere to go and Mei’s not going to last much longer. We can’t even wake up Monkey King early ‘cause he made it clear only bad things would happen if we did.” He shook his head in despair. “It’s hopeless!”

A jolt ran through Tang as if struck by lightning.

Hope.

He reached beneath his robes and clasped the wooden totem he wore around his neck at all times. There was somewhere they could go. Someplace safe from both Lady Bone Demon and those who would pursue him for revealing himself. They would be intruding and most likely be unwelcome, but Tang would worry about that later. Right now he needed to get his current family to safety and hope things could be worked out.

Tang was sure their host would appreciate that thought at least.

His doubt shattered and resolve coursing through his veins, Tang threw his scarf away and placed a hand to the golden runes etched upon his skin. With a surge of power and a quick tug, the binding was snapped off. He examined the ring of symbols for a moment, squinting at something that didn’t seem quite right. He shook his head and dismissed it for now. He needed to stay focused

Capturing the spell in a stasis field before it could disperse and tucking it away into his robes, Tang steadied himself for what he was about to do. He had already broken the binding, so there was no undoing his decision. There were going to be so many questions from his loved ones that were going to be difficult to answer. He just prayed they would eventually forgive his deceit.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his thoughts so he could focus on what was in front of him. Determined to go through with it before his resolve wavered, Tang bent down and quickly began unlacing his boots.

“Uh, Tang? What are you doing?” Sandy asked, lightly repositioning the unresponsive Monkey King in his arms and drawing attention to the scholar.

“Getting us out of here,” Tang replied, kicking off his boots and pulling off his socks as well.

“How is taking off your shoes going to help?” Pigsy said skeptically.

“You’ll see.” Tang straightened up and tucked his glasses into a pocket. They were purely cosmetic anyway. He turned and looked each of his companions in the eyes in turn. “No matter what happens, I need you all to trust me.”

“What’s going to happen?” MK’s voice wavered. “Tang?”

“Some pretty weird stuff,” Tang admitted. His stomach twisted at the frightened and confused looks he was receiving. “I’m going to be doing all that I can to get us somewhere safe. So please, just trust me.”

“I-” MK turned to look at where Mei was clashing with Macaque’s mech, her movements noticeably sluggish. He swallowed and looked back to Tang. “O-okay. I trust you.”

“I trust you, little buddy,” Sandy pitched in enthusiastically.

“You better know what you’re doing,” Pigsy huffed, crossing his arms. While his posture seemed annoyed, Tang could see the worry in his eyes. He would have to make it up to him, to them all, later.

“Thank you,” Tang sighed in relief. “Just… Save your questions for later, alright?”

Tang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It had been some time since he had reverted to his birth form. It wasn’t strictly necessary to activate the key, but his powers and connection to the Earth were stronger when he was. With how lax he had become, he would need the boost to distract Macaque long enough for them to make their escape. He focused and with a pulse of magic, he began to change.

Fur sprouted all over his body. His feet shifted to where he stood primarily on his toes. His skull elongated into a snout. Claws grew from his fingers which shortened in length and developed paw pads. A short fluffy tail grew from the base of his spine and his ears lengthened quite significantly. Tang took a breath once the transformation finished and opened his eyes. The others stared back in astonishment.

“Whoa…” Sandy said, his mouth hanging open.

“You’re a rabbit?!” Pigsy exclaimed, eyes wide and arms having fallen to his side.

“You’re orange?” MK said, scratching his head at Tang’s bright fur color as opposed to his sudden species change.

“I’ll explain later,” Tang promised as he turned towards the mech and flexed his paws. He grinned as he felt his magic flow through him. “Right now we need to get out of here.”

Tang shifted and concentrated, stance firm despite the sand. His magic spread out down into the Earth surrounding them. Once he built up enough, he took a step forward and swung his fists downwards in a straightforward and sturdy motion. He then stepped back, pulling his fists straight up. As he did, solid stone burst out from beneath the sand underneath Macaque’s mech, encasing it up to its neck. Opening his fists, Tang spread his arms out wide and golden chains of magical energy appeared, wrapping around the stone sealing it in place.

“Holy shit!”

“Language, MK!”

“Mei, get over here,” Tang shouted. He straightened up and took a deep breath. That should not have taken that much out of him. He was more out of practice than he thought.

“What happened? Why��s shadow boy locked in stone? Who’s the rabbit dude? Where’s Tang?” Mei fired off several questions as she rejoined the group, looking pretty worn out herself.

“The rabbit is Tang and he’s the one who trapped Macaque,” MK said.

“What?!”

“Later, I promise,” Tang interrupted as he reached beneath his robes and clasped onto the totem. “Everyone grab hold of me!”

Once everyone had done so, he pulsed his magic into the totem. It replied with its own weak pulse, slowly poking out and touching Tang and his companions. As it investigated them, one of the chains sealing Macaque in place shattered.

“Tang…” MK eyed the trembling stone prison warily.

“It’s warming up, give it a second.”

“We might not have a second, Tang,” Pigsy said, flinching as another chain failed. “Hurry it up!”

Tang closed his eyes and blocked out everything, including his rising panic. This needed to work. He needed to get them all to safety.

Snap!

“Tang?”

This would work. He would be able to protect them all this time. He believed this would work.

The totem grew warm to the touch.

Snap! Snap!

“Tang!”

They were all going to be fine. No matter what, he would hold fast to his hope.

A wave of magic flowed from the totem, enveloping them all.

Tang’s eyes snapped open as the final chain shattered and the rock began to crumble.

“Brace yourselves!” He tapped his foot twice against the ground. The sand and earth beneath them gave way, opening into a large hole.

The last thing Tang saw as the group fell in screaming was Macaque breaking free of the stone and charging at them fruitlessly.

The earth closed above them long before he reached where they had been.

----------

The past week had not been very fun for MK. It had to be in the Top Five of Worst Experiences He’d Had if he were to rate it. Right up there with Spider Queen’s takeover of the city. Or that time in High School when he was sick for a whole week. Having his powers and staff stolen by a creepy and terrifying demon lady then having to go on the run for nearly two days straight was definitely not something he hoped to repeat in his lifetime.

He felt so… Useless. First with Macaque attacking them on the ship, and then when they were imprisoned by Mei’s Great-Great-Great-Many-Times-Great-Grand Uncle. Without his powers he couldn’t do anything. Like he was sure Monkey King had implied before going into his meditation, he would just get in the way and put himself in danger if he tried to fight now.

Standing back and watching Mei take on Macaque’s mech solo had been hard. At first it looked like she had been winning, but then it just kept regenerating over and over. MK could see his best friend starting to get tired after a while. Frustration had started to build within him and he had almost stepped forward to help anyway despite his missing abilities.

But then Tang stepped forward first.

Of everything that had happened so far, what happened next was nowhere near what MK ever expected to happen.

He wasn’t sure what surprised him more. The fact that Tang was actually some sort of rabbit demon, or that he was bright orange in color. Maybe it was the sudden show of some seriously awesome magic as he temporarily sealed Macaque in place. That he was hiding this from them for all this time was up there too.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get long to think about it. A sudden wave of warm magic washed over them all and Tang’s eyes snapped open at the same moment the final chain keeping Macaque in place broke.

“Brace yourselves!” Tang tapped the ground twice with one of his now large furry feet. MK barely had time to react as the earth beneath them opened up into a large hole.

There was quite a lot of screaming as they fell in. They hit something solid yet slippery as they started to slide wildly downwards. It was surprisingly well lit, and MK was soon able to realize they were careening down a tunnel lined with moss. It was… pretty fun actually.

MK’s screams soon turned into shouts of exhilaration alongside Mei’s as they slid down, down, and even further down. The random twists and drops and loops made this better than any slide or roller coaster he had ever been on! He spotted something out of the corner of his vision and his eyes widened.

Tang, who was indeed still a rabbit, wasn’t sliding. He was running along the walls of the tunnels on all fours. He was keeping pace with their frantic descent and hopping over them with precision and grace. He caught MK staring at him and smirked before jumping over the young man as he slid fully around the circumference of the tunnel. He gave MK a wink just as the tunnel dropped out once again and he lost sight of him amongst the rush of green and brown blurring past.

So cool!

Their wild ride ended just as suddenly as it began, the tunnel flattening out and shooting them into a much more open space. As they all came to a stop in an undignified heap, MK couldn’t help but laugh. That had been a blast! He extracted himself from the tangle of limbs and exchanged a high five with Mei.

“That was awesome!” He cheered alongside her, ignoring Sandy’s groans and Pigsy’s muttered cursing.

A sudden breeze caught him off guard. Weren’t they underground? As the excitement began to fade, MK took the time to examine their new surroundings.

“Whoa…” He breathed, almost unbelieving of what he was seeing. “Where are we?”

They were underground as he thought, but he’d be forgiven for expressing his doubts. The cavern they now stood in was massive, with something as bright as the sun high up towards the distant ceiling providing plenty of light. There was vibrant plant life everywhere. Fields of emerald grass and flowers of every color and egg shaped rocks covered in moss. Was that a forest in the distance?!

The breeze returned, and MK took a deep breath. The air was crisp and pleasant and clean. It carried the scent of freshly thawed soil and morning dew on grass and everything else he associated with Spring. He could swear he could hear the sound of running water for just a moment before the wind settled. He would not be surprised if there was a full blown river down here at this point.

This place was special. Unique. Important. Even with his powers on the fritz, MK could practically taste the capital M Magic that infused every inch of the cave. It was deeply connected to Nature and the Earth. It reminded him a lot of Flower Fruit Mountain, actually.

“She’s a beaut, ain’t she?” Tang said, his voice slipping into a strange accent as he looked out across the lush cave as well. He sounded both happy and… sad somehow? Huh?

MK blinked as he had to look up into Tang’s face. He had almost forgotten Tang was a rabbit. A bright orange rabbit. That apparently meant he was taller now. The rabbit part, not the orange part. The altered face shape meant his expression was a bit harder to read, yet MK was surprised that he recognized it. He wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but it was the one Monkey King would get sometimes when he made those origami figures of the other pilgrims.

MK had so many questions.

“Yeah, it’s amazing, but where are we?” Mei repeated MK’s question.

“We’re somewhere safe,” Tang replied, his accent returning to normal as he stood up straighter. He began scanning the path leading further into the cave that the tunnel had deposited them on with intense focus.

“Somewhere safe?” Sandy said as he made sure Monkey King hadn’t suffered any damage during their wild ride.

“Yes. At least, I hope so…” Tang’s ears and nose twitched occasionally as he vigilantly watched the path. “I… I’m not supposed to bring strangers here without permission. I’m just relieved the key accepted you all and opened for us.”

“Wait, are you saying this might not have worked?!” Pigsy said, incredulous. “And what do you mean you don’t have permission to bring strangers here?”

“Exactly that,” Tang said. “This place belongs to… someone I’ve known for a long time. He doesn’t really like having unexpected guests.”

“But, you’re good friends with this guy, right?” Sandy asked. “That means it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, should it?”

Tang winced. That wasn’t a good sign.

“We’re doomed,” Pigsy groaned, unknowingly agreeing with MK’s thoughts.

“It’s… It’s complicated,” Tang admitted, his ears drooping.

Wow. He looked very sad like that. But in a cute way. MK was sorely tempted to reach out and give Tang a hug. And maybe a pat on the head? Would that be offensive? Surely just because he looked like a soft and cuddly animal Tang wouldn’t appreciate being treated like one.

“We are close,” Tang continued, distracting MK from that line of thought. “But the last time we met was many years ago and we parted in a rather… explosive argument. We haven’t spoken since and he will not be pleased to see me in his home unannounced and with uninvited strangers to boot.”

“Then why did you bring us here?!” Pigsy’s temper was starting to wear thin. MK took a step back to avoid the oncoming outburst. “You said you were bringing us somewhere safe and now you tell us whoever lives here isn’t going to be happy to see us! Plus you aren’t on good terms with him right now! Who’s to say he won’t attack us straight away? That you’ve just led us into another fight?”

“He won’t attack us.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I’ve known him all of my life,” Tang said, voice hard like steel. “Unless we throw the first blow, the worst he will do is eject us back to where we entered.”

“How is that any better?!”

“It won’t happen as long-” Tang began.

“As long as what? You talk to him? Simply explain to this guy who’s been angry at you for years that we need his help for nothing in return?” Pigsy marched over to Tang and scowled up at him. “How can you be sure that will work? Considering how you’ve obviously been hiding things from us this whole time, why should we believe you?”

Tang’s ears went fully flat at that and MK’s heart twinged in sympathy at the hurt on his face. He may have agreed with some of what Pigsy was saying, but he didn’t like throwing accusations around. It made him feel icky whenever he assumed the worst in others. Especially those he cared about. They did need answers, but this wasn’t the way to get them.

“Come on Pigsy,” MK said, trying to ease the tension. “Aren’t you being a little harsh? He did get us away from Macaque.”

“No, MK,” Tang spoke up, catching him off guard. “He’s right. I have been hiding things from you. I can’t fully explain why just yet, we don’t have the time, but I need to start being more honest with you all.”

Tang took a deep breath and looked Pigsy in the eye.

“I know he won’t attack and will at least hear us out because… Because he’s my brother.”

MK’s jaw dropped at that. That… wasn’t what he had been expecting. But considering everything else that had happened so far, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised at all.

“Oh.” Pigsy’s temper deflated as he blinked. “Uh, like, sworn brothers or…?”

“No, full blooded brothers,” Tang corrected as he returned to scanning the path.

“Oh. So is, uh, he also…” Pigsy vaguely gestured at Tang.

“A rabbit?” Tang chuckled. “Technically we aren’t rabbits, but yes, we are the same species.”

“You aren’t rabbits?” Mei sounded as confused as MK felt.

“That’s a long story.” Tang’s ears perked up and his eyes narrowed. “One I can’t get into as we’re out of time.”

The tension in the air immediately returned and MK shifted instinctively into a battle-ready stance.

“Listen, I need you all to trust me again,” Tang said as he stepped up in front of the group, facing away from them.

“What? Why?” MK asked.

“While I can probably get him to hear us out, you were right to not underestimate his anger at me. I can convince him to stop and listen, but it will take some extreme measures.” He half turned to give them an intense stare. “No matter what happens, even if it appears that my life may be in danger, do not interfere. Understand?”

“But…”

“Understand?”

MK swallowed as he shared an uncertain look with the others. Deciding to trust him once more through an unspoken agreement, they all turned and gave Tang shaky nods.

Tang returned the nod and turned back to face the path, standing tall and straight.

Before too long, the sound of something approaching rapidly was heard. A figure could be seen running towards them on all fours at full speed. It was hard to make anything out except a gray blur as it grew closer. MK took a step back as it seemed the figure wasn’t going to stop and might plow straight into Tang.

Had he blinked, he would have missed the way they bounced a quick hop high into the air to shed speed and landed at a dead stop just a few feet in front of Tang. They stood to their full height and MK got his first good look at Tang’s brother.

They were indeed a rabbit, or looked like a rabbit, just like Tang.

They were also almost completely naked.

Save for some forearm guards, a bandolier around his chest, and foot wrappings, they wore no clothing. MK nearly choked at that before he realized that there wasn’t actually anything there to see. That was… odd. A relief for sure, but certainly strange. Once he got past that shock he began to examine them a bit closer.

They had blue-gray fur with a white front, which was strangely normal considering Tang’s bright orange. He had almost expected them to be the same color. There were darker patterns on his forehead, arms, and legs however. They looked almost like natural tattoos that grew in that way. In fact, he had noticed Tang had a similar mark on his forehead as well. Interesting…

Tang’s brother was the taller of the two. If only by an inch or so. Still, they were over six feet tall if he had to guess. Not counting the long ears. Which was more than enough for the gray rabbit to be looking down at them all. Well, maybe not Sandy. Not many people were taller than him.

Their expression was carefully neutral as they examined their group, but MK could see a bit of hardness in their eyes. Eyes that were a startling bright green. They looked almost familiar… MK blinked as he realized where he saw those eyes before. They were the exact same shade as Tang’s. He hadn’t been sure if he’d be able to tell if there was any family resemblance between the two, but that was at least one definite link.

The silence stretched on as Tang’s brother stared them down. MK did his best to avoid fidgeting. The gray rabbit was rather intimidating and he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He swallowed nervously as he resisted the urge to wipe away a bead of sweat. He wished one of them would say something. This suspense was torture!

“Why are you here?” Tang’s brother finally said, voice brusk and cold. MK shivered at the edge in their words. Tang hadn’t been lying about them not being happy to see them.

Tang took a deep breath before lowering himself to one knee. He spread his arms out, palms open and facing forward. He tilted his head back and to the side, presenting his neck while keeping eye contact with his brother.

Then he spoke.

It was unlike any language MK had ever heard. He wasn’t sure how to describe it. It… flowed. Rising and falling in a beautiful way. It was like music, almost. Tang’s brother must not have been expecting it either if the short flicker of surprise in his eyes were any indication.

The hardness quickly returned though once Tang finished whatever he was saying. In response, the gray rabbit reached behind their back and pulled out… curved wooden sticks? No, boomerangs. Boomerangs with some seriously sharp edges now that MK looked closely. Sharp edges which were very quickly placed against Tang’s throat, who did not flinch or look away.

What? MK’s pulse quickened. Tang had been so sure his brother wouldn’t harm him. Had he been wrong? He needed to stop them!

A hand clamped down tightly on his arm. He jerked around to see Mei holding on to him. She shook her head and pulled him back from the half step he had involuntarily taken. MK grit his teeth and stepped back reluctantly. Right, they had promised to not interfere. He felt so useless, again! At least the tight grip Mei had on her sword in her other hand showed he wasn’t alone in his thoughts this time.

Tang’s brother was speaking now. The foreign language was still flowing and beautiful, but there was a strange bit of formality in their cadence. Almost as if they were reciting something. Tang’s initial response had felt that way as well, in hindsight.

The brothers exchanged words for a few minutes. All the while, Tang remained on one knee while his brother held the wooden blades to his neck. MK had no idea what they were saying, but from the way their tones changed, it seemed like Tang was being forced to explain himself. At least, he assumed the shorter, harsher sentences from Tang’s brother were questions. Tang’s answers fluctuated from matter of fact to hesitant to subdued.

Throughout it all, the expression on the gray rabbit’s face never changed. They remained stoic and focused on their brother, not giving away what they thought. MK wished he could see Tang’s face so he could have an idea on what was happening.

The flow of the conversation changed suddenly. Tang’s brother seemed to be reciting several things again to Tang, and Tang would give a short response that sounded like he agreed. Promises? Demands? An oath?

Whatever it was, it made MK’s anxiety ratchet up as he realized the conversation was about to end. However the gray rabbit would respond determined whether they would be safe, or be forced back out into the desert with Macaque. He hoped that whatever Tang had said had been enough. Not just for their sake, but for Tang’s as well. He didn’t have siblings, unless he counted Mei, and it would kill him inside to not be able to speak to her for years at a time.

He hoped this would be a good first step to mend whatever torn feeling the brothers had for each other.

The gray rabbit looked up and met his eyes for just a moment before looking back to Tang.

MK felt a chill up his spine. What was that?! Why had they looked right at him? They weren’t able to read minds, were they? God, he seriously hoped not.

There was another stretch of silence, and MK felt about ready to burst from the tension. Then, Tang’s brother removed the boomerangs from Tang’s throat and took a step back. They said something that sounded like a declaration as he sheathed the wooden blades on his back once more. They then stretched out a hand to Tang, who’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief.

MK let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, hearing similar sighs from the others around him. It worked! They were safe for now.

MK let out a yawn and blinked as his eyes drooped. Wow. He was tired. Exhausted, actually. When was the last time he had a decent night’s sleep? A week ago? Two? It was sometime before he met Lady Bone Demon for the first time underground when she was pretending to be a frightened little girl. Had it really been that short of a time? It felt much longer.

WHACK!

MK jumped a little as Tang’s brother smacked the orange rabbit over the side of the head after helping him up. His heart sped up again. Had he assumed wrong? Were they about to be kicked out?

“Ow, ow, yeah, I deserved that,” Tang moaned as he rubbed the spot he’d been hit.

“Ya deserve a whole lot worse!” Tang’s brother said in a rather strong accent. “Now come here!”

Tang tensed as his brother moved in close again but blinked in surprise as he was pulled into a hug.

“You aren’t forgiven. Not yet. But, dammit, I missed ya a lot, Tangerine.”

MK shook his head. Had he heard that right? The confusion of the last few hours and his sleepiness must be playing tricks on him. Did they just call Tang Tangerine?

“I missed you too,” Tang said as he returned the embrace. He pressed his forehead to his brother’s. “I promise, I’m going to fix all this.”

“Don’t make promises ya might not be able to keep,” the gray rabbit warned softly as he pulled away. He glanced over to the rest of their group and frowned. “I think full introductions and explanations will have to wait til later. Your crew looks dead on their feet.”

MK yawned again as he looked at the others. Like Tang’s brother had said, they all looked terrible. Bags under their eyes, sand in their rumpled clothes, and various scrapes and bruises from the two vehicle crashes they had managed to live through in the same amount of days. There was only one thing on MK’s mind right now and that was sleep.

He really hoped there wouldn’t be any more earth-shattering surprises. He might not be able to take it.

“Alright you lot, let me welcome ya officially to The Warren,” Tang’s brother said. “I’ll get ta know ya after you’ve had some shut eye. For now, you can call me Bunny.”

“Bunny?” Pigsy gaped. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” The gray rabbit smirked mischievously. “But if that bothers you, you can call me by my full title.”

Tang tensed. Uh oh…

“And… That would be?” Sandy asked.

Tang’s brother gave a toothy grin.

“The Easter Bunny.”

MK’s brain officially fizzled out and stopped processing.

----------

So what did you think? Quite a bit was revealed in a short time. Are your brains fried like MK’s here? ;P

Shout-out to @skellebonez once again for being a wonderful friend and sounding board as I rambled to them about this!

This is actually a re-write of a one shot I wrote some months ago. I liked the idea so much I decided to take a more serious crack at it and turn it into a full fic. I’m super excited for some of the things I have planned.

Unfortunately, I don’t know when the next chapter will be ready. I’ve managed to get a new job that required me to move states. I’m still settling in and getting used to working full time again. Hopefully a routine will settle and I’ll be able to start writing more often.

But for now, stay safe! Care for one another! And never give up on Hope!

Until Next Time!

#Tangerine Fur and Fraying Trust #LEGO Monkie Kid #Monkie Kid #Rise of the Guardians #RotG #TFaFT #Crossover #Tang #Bunny Tang #MK #Pigsy #Mei #Sandy #Sun Wukong #Monkey King #Macaque #Six Eared Macaque #E Aster Bunnymund

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