"What about this one?" Monkey asked as he held up a small blade, unsheathing it to reveal dulled metal.
"Do you think she would like it?" He asked as he looked at Pigsy.
"Just pick one," Pigsy muttered, they should have left by now. Monkey huffed a sigh and set it back down.
"You're no help." Monkey muttered as he picked up a different one, a dagger with just a little further reach than the knife. He swiped it twice before finding it's balance.

"This one has better reach." He said as he swiped through the air once more.
"They're going to get worried," Pigsy said this time, trying to get Monkey to hurry up. Monkey pouted at him before sheathing the dagger and handing it to Pigsy.
"Make sure she gets that." He said as he began past Pigsy, out the door of the Jade Palace's armory. It had been mostly picked clean, but there were a few leftover remnants from days of old. Apparently, a lot of the demons hadn't even bothered with the smaller weapons.

"Wait, why aren't you giving it to her?" Pigsy asked as he turned around and began after the other god, his shoes clicking against the stone floor. Monkey seemed to gesture at his attire.
"Nowhere to put it." He said as he continued on. Pigsy shrugged his shoulders slightly before pressing on in a hurry.

BoS

"Where do you think they are?" Tripitaka wondered out loud as she leaned against the big stone walls outside of the palace. Sandy was sitting on top of a large rock, jotting things down in her journal. Font was walking the perimeter, though clearly in sight. He seemed antsy to get a move on.
"Hey, you okay?" Tripitaka called. He looked over at her. He frowned as he began taking steps towards her, stepping over long tufts of unruly grass.

"Something's out there. Something powerful, it's watching us." He explained. Tripitaka took her own turn of frowning and Sandy glanced up at his words.
"What do you think it is?" Sandy questioned, but the demon shrugged and turned his head back to the tree-line.

"I mean, whatever it is, we'll face it," Tripitaka said, sounding confident of herself.
"With all of you guys fighting together, there is no way we can be defeated," She added. She was sure of it.
"Tripitaka." Font's voice had a sort of warning in it. She cast her eyes back at him to see a worried glance.

"What else can I say? All we can do is fight and hope, right?" She asked. The demon withheld a sigh as he turned his head once more, unable to keep his eyes off the edge of the forest.
"Just keep your wits about, both of you." The demon stated, looking first and Tripitaka and then at Sandy.

The water god folded a page corner in her journal before closing it and stopping up her container of ink. She threw her things into her bag and hooked it over her shoulder along with her water-skin she had set down. After, she held her weapon tight as she went to Tripitaka's side.
"Hopefully those two get here soon." Sandy started and Tripitaka nodded.

"I guess we can go look for them." Tripitaka decided, but finally, they heard footsteps crunching against the rocky ground with bits of grass that sprouted through here and there, it wasn't as unkempt past the gates. Tripitaka took several steps to the side to see who was coming out and was relieved to see her two other companions. She breathed a sigh of relief. She really had been getting worried, they had promised to meet them much earlier.

"Hey, Font said something is out there, watch my back," Sandy said as she looked Pigsy in the eyes, not giving them a chance to catch their breath. Pigsy's eyes narrowed at her for a second.
"And I'll watch yours," Sandy said as her eyes now flitted between the two. Monkey nodded as he took his hair down and transformed it into its true nature.

He wasn't taking any chances, not ever since Davari had gotten a hold of Tripitaka. He made a promise to himself that he would never let someone take her away again, he couldn't let it happen. He felt like an idiot for not going after her when she went tromping off on her own, but he couldn't change that. All he could do was be better from here on out.

"Well, what a good note to start on," Pigsy stated as he stopped to remove the sheathed blade from his pack.
"Here, Tripitaka, strap this to your belt," Pigsy said as he held it out to her. Tripitaka eyed the weapon for a second before looking back to Pigsy.

"Wait... I," she didn't know what to say, but it very much surprised her.
"Take it, just in case," Pigsy said as he gestured she should take it. Tripitaka sighed but grabbed the handle and tested its weight in her hand. She unclipped the leather and strapped it onto the side of her belt.
"Thanks." She said as she turned around and faced the treeline.

"And the heroes set off into the forest, unknowing to the dangers that awaited them," Sandy said as she took a step forward.
"Don't let me forget that one for later." She said before turning an eye to Pigsy again. He nodded at her and she smiled.

"But Font already sensed something out there, so we do know, right?" Monkey didn't seem to get it, it wasn't how it was actually happening right now. He could understand adding some details to build yourself up, by why leave out others?
"Makes for a better story," Sandy stated, but Monkey shook his head.
"This makes for a better story." He said as he flexed an arm jokingly, making both Sandy and Tripitaka laugh.

"Yeah right!" Sandy jokingly taunted back.
"No really, you should add it." Monkey answered, a smile heard in his voice. They all went on, joking to each other as they stepped into the brush, walking through the forest in strides. The whole time they enjoyed each other's company, but the demon felt left out. A frown formed on his face, turning into a scowl. He started to slow down and lag just behind them. They walked for quite a while before Tripitaka announced that they would take a break near a stream. The demon seated himself on a rock nearby, staring at the water that trickled by.

"Hey, is something up?" Tripitaka asked as she made her way to him. She had refilled her new water-skin and wore it on a strap over her chest. The demon didn't move an inch, but eventually relented with an answer.
"I suppose that I am just uninteresting." He stated, positive that the fault was his own. Tripitaka frowned at him as she went to his side and crouched down before settling herself into a seated position.
"You've looked angry and serious all day. I don't know about the others, but, I didn't want to offend you." She admitted. He cast a curious glance at her.

"I wanted to talk." He said. Tripitaka cocked her head at him.
"Then why didn't you join the conversations?" She asked. His eyes drifted back to water that ebbed over pebbles and rocks alike.
"No one seemed to direct their words to me specifically." He muttered. Tripitaka shook her head at him, a small smile on her lips.

"You know what, that's it, we're just gonna have to talk to you and keep you company for the rest of the night." She said, her smirk growing on her face.
"So come on, stop moping over here, come sit with us," Tripitaka said as she stood back up and offered an open hand to the demon. He swept her over in his eyes, furrowing his brows just slightly as his thoughts ran through his head. After a moment he took her hand and although he was heavier than her, she did her best to pull him up. Tripitaka turned on her heel and started towards the others.

"I knew you couldn't stay away," Pigsy stated with a smirk as he was serving out lunch. He had made food for the day and gathered dried foods they could eat more long term. The demon gave an uncertain smile at the god as he seated himself down, in between Sandy and Tripitaka, taking cooking utensils from Pigsy every now and again when the god handed them to him to be held for a moment.

"Bring on the food!" Monkey let out loudly as he held out his bowl. Pigsy gave him a look that showed he wasn't amused. Tripitaka giggled at them and put a hand on Monkey's wrist, making him lower his bowl. Font's eyes were fixed on Tripitaka's hand that rested on The Monkey King's wrist.

"Hey, could you tell me what you think?" Sandy asked as she shoved her journal into the unsuspecting hands of the demon. He gave her a look before looking back down. A small smile graced his lips as he skimmed through it.
"You added in that I sensed it?" He asked more than said as he looked back up at her.
"Yeah, Monkey was right. Credit goes where it should go, right?" Sandy asked. The demon nodded, but was pulled from his current thoughts as he heard laughter erupt from Tripitaka's lips from something Monkey had said.

The demon turned his eyes back to them, a look of annoyance reaching his face. Sandy narrowed her eyes at the demon with confusion before the thought entered her mind. Her eyes widened but she held back her gasp. She put a hand on Pigsy's shoulder.

"Hey, I gotta... Um... Show you something." Sandy said as she gave him a look that said 'need to talk, right NOW!' Pigsy gave her a curious gaze before spooning food into everyone's bowls. He took both his and the water god's bowl into his hands as he got up.

"Well, what is it then?" He asked when Sandy didn't get up yet. Sandy nodded as she stood too. They walked downstream, leaving the other three to wonder where they were going.
"Do you think something is up with them? Like, together up?" Tripitaka asked Monkey and Monkey looked to be deep in thought for a moment.

"I mean, I don't think they are." Monkey said. Tripitaka looked at Font.
"What do you think?" She asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
"I've only just met them," He remarked. Tripitaka frowned as she put a hand to her chin and thought.
"I don't know, they hang out together a lot," Tripitaka explained her curiosity.
"We all do," Monkey said with a shrug.

BoS

"Okay, that demon, he seems to dislike Monkey..." Sandy stated. Pigsy nodded.
"I mean, he does, but they have gotten along better these last two days," Pigsy added. Sandy smirked at him.
"Yes, but they could be closer, wouldn't you think?" Sandy asked. Pigsy gave her a questioning look as he wasn't following what she was saying.

"None of us know him all that well," Pigsy said. Sandy scoffed.
"Speak for yourself, we're friends," Sandy stated and Pigsy smirked at her.
"Right." He didn't really see them as being super close.

"I think he might like Tripitaka." Sandy finally said.
"I mean, he sends her these little looks and glares at Monkey when they are close together." The god went on. Pigsy shook his head.

"He is bound to Tripitaka, he doesn't have a choice but to exalt her," Pigsy said with a sigh. Sandy frowned at him.
"Even if he did like her, it wouldn't be right. As long as Tripitaka has the ability to control him, we will never know how he really feels about her." Pigsy added. Sandy let out a sigh as she turned to look at the others in the distance.

"So, I shouldn't make a love triangle?" She asked. Pigsy narrowed his eyes for a second before he realized she was referring to her journal.
"I wouldn't," Pigsy muttered.

"Damn, it was about to get so intense if I took that route too," Sandy said as she gazed back towards Pigsy, her eyes finding his. Pigsy gazed back, his eyes seeming comforting to the water God. Sandy gave him a small smile, her heart speeding up and she tried to think of what to say, she simply wanted to keep talking to him.

"We should get back and get moving. There will be time to rest tonight." Pigsy finally said as he took the last bite of his food and placed his utensils in the bowl, setting it down for a moment as he adjusted his shirt a little. Sandy watched him, trying to do so secretly. He caught her looking when he was done, but she averted her gaze and pretended she hadn't been watching him the whole time.

"You're right, we should go." She said as she picked up both her bowl and his and began walking back to where the others were. Pigsy watched her leave, her boots trudging heavily into dirt and twigs. His eyes lowered a little, he couldn't help it. He looked away after a moment, feeling guilty at watching her leave, but he knew in all honesty that it was all he would ever get. He let out a sigh. Sometimes he wished he could be someone like Monkey, then things would be different.

If he was like Monkey, he would have the courage. If he was like Monkey... People would see him as more capable. Not to mention that the monkey god was easy on the eyes. That's what he told himself, but really, he secretly thought himself a coward.

BoS

After several more hours of traveling on foot, they had opted to stop for the night. The sun hadn't set completely yet, but that was good as they still needed the light. Pigsy put what was left of the day's prepared food into a pot and waited for Monkey and Font to come back with firewood. Sandy had refilled the water with Tripitaka before the two girls went back.

They slipped away to a small lake where they undressed and bathed themselves in the last rays of light. The sun was quickly setting. Tripitaka was the first to be done, she always felt uncomfortable being naked out in the water. She always grew nervous that some random person would somehow see them. She was quick to put on her second pair of clothes and she took the old ones and went to the edge of the lake.

She drowned her clothes in the water and tried to scrub and twist at them. When she was satisfied that she had washed out most of the sweat and grime, she pulled it out and sprinkled assorted dried flowers on them before rolling the damp cloth up and tucking it under her arm, dampening her fresh clothes a little.

"I'm going back to camp, you gonna be okay?" Tripitaka questioned. Sandy gave her a nod from where she stood with the dark water up to her neck.
"Just be careful on your way back!" Sandy called. Tripitaka nodded as she started on her way, but jumped when she found the font demon on the other side of a giant boulder. He could easily have slipped out and peeked at them from where he was.

"What are you doing here!? This is private time!" Tripitaka began, but the demon scowled at her.
"Plus, what about the firewood?" Tripitaka added.
"There is something out there, yet you want to be left alone?" He asked her. Tripitaka crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sandy was with me." She muttered. The demon turned his gaze away from her before speaking again.
"And what of now?" He asked.
"Look, if something came after me, I would scream, okay?" She tried to convince him.

"And what if the enemy found a way to silence you? Or what if they didn't really care and simply stabbed a blade in your belly? What then?" He asked and she stomped past him.
"Then I'd stab them too, okay, how's that?" She asked, huffing angrily. She didn't like those thoughts of his. The demon held back a sigh and followed her. She was difficult to protect, she seemed to think that all things were without consequence.

"As your servant, I must protect you." He stated.
"Well, I told you, you don't have to be my servant anymore." She said back.
"Yes, but as your friend, I can't help thinking you find yourself in trouble a little too often." He added. Tripitaka turned to glare at him.

"And why say that? You haven't been here that long!" She huffed. The demon's lips quirked upwards ever so slightly.
"Yes, but Sandy's novel has told me all about your misadventures together." He explained.
"Well, you're not my boss, I do what I want, okay!?" She was more than annoyed, since when had he read all three total of Sandy's journals? Her annoyance didn't seem to bother Font in the slightest.

"You can do as you desire, I simply mean to put forth the idea that you should have Monkey or myself around at all times." Font stated and Tripitaka's frown only worsened at that. Had Monkey seriously recruited him into his little elitest ideal of being the strongest of the five?

"You know what, forget this! I'm laying down!" Tripitaka muttered as she stalked away, heading for camp. Font waited a good long moment before following behind her. she already seemed annoyed with him and he didn't want to make things worse at this point.

She could be angry all she wanted, but as long as they were bound with threads of magic, he could always sense her presence and as with every master he had ever been connected too, he felt the intense desire to keep her out of harm's way.

The Shaman may not be the strongest, but he was smart and managed to find ways to stay alive. He had defended him countless times in dealings gone wrong. Davari was stronger, but also old and weak. When serving Davari he would spend his time close to him when in the audience of people not so close. That was his main purpose when serving him.

Then there was Tripitaka, a human. A human who seemed to think she could take on an army of darkness and get away without a scratch or something along that. He held back a sigh and shook his head, his eyes tracing her figure in the distance.

She said she would free him. She said things would be different for him. She even told him she cared— about him. If nothing else flustered him there was that. He frowned as he kept imagining how she would look with longer hair. For some reason the thought filled his mind over and over when looking at her sometimes. He would see some sort of image in his head with her having much longer hair and a frightened look on her face, or sometimes a defiant look.

—His hands spat out fire as he stalked into the street. His anger raged at being deceived. His temper flowed through him like a volatile poison that threatened his very existence. His lips curled into a snarl and his forehead creased, every muscle in his body felt as if on fire with bursting energy. He had finished what he came to do and now some girl had the audacity to steal his exact objective. He began down the road, he could feel the presence of what he sought, the crown. He would find her.—

Font stood there for a second, seemingly in a daze before he stood more straight and narrowed his eyes at a particularly narrow tree in the now darkening landscape. What had that been? He trembled at the rage he felt in that moment. Never had he felt that angry before. The strange vision of himself had seethed with such anger, he hadn't any idea what to even do with it. He shook his head and put a hand to his forehead.

"Just a fluke." He tried to convince himself for if it was more than that, he'd rather not know. He tried to forget about the long-haired Tripitaka. He would rather see her for what she is. Whatever the past was like, that was not him now. He was no such monster… He couldn't be. A frown formed on his lips as he silently stalked back into camp, his expression much more solemn than before.

A/N: Just wanted to say that I thought Sandy being like oh love triangle in my novel, was funny to write. Made me laugh as I wrote it. Lol. Also that bit was indeed a flashback and I am excited to continue progressing his character, it has been fun to write about Font and think about his possible history, I am excited for what is to come. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading and as always, night or day, I hope it is wonderful.