Taro's sword being the river sword is sort of a reference to the river that carried the giant magic peach in the momotaro story.
Enjoy.
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In the middle of a forest and surrounded by trees, Taro stood with a serious expression on his face in front of his sword that pierced the earth. The ominous blade radiated dark aura that called for the peach boy, wooing him in with dreams of vengeance and victory.
The peach boy instinctively approached the sword, the river blade's alluring dream overpowering his will power. The peach boy stared at the pitch black blade with glowing eyes, hesitation holding him back for a second before his hand gripped the handle of the sword.
Immediately, pitch black aura shot out of the sword and swirled around the boy like a hurricane. Taro flashed an eerie smile as the sword's grudge, his OWN grudge started to consume his heart. But out of nowhere, a silver blur dashed towards Taro slamming into his stomach. The boy quickly let go of the sword and held his stomach in pain.
"Zao! What the heck?!" Yelled Taro angrily as he clutched his stomach in pain with his eyes closed. "You don't need to hit me THAT hard!" The manic silver dog didn't reply and looked away without so much as an apology.
"I told him to do it!" Exclaimed a bronze furred monkey with blue skin who was hanging off of one of the nearby tree's branches. "Taro, I've personally watched enough horror movies to know a bad sign when I see one. We ain't fighting NOBODY until you can control THAT...thing."
"I agree with Zuzu, for once." Added a golden pheasant with an elegant pose while crossing his wings. "Unlike my fabulous and delightful laughter, THAT smile was BLOODY TERRIFYING! And I'm sure SOMEONE who is definitely NOT me has completely soiled a few bushed in fear. I mean, just look at how terrified Zao looks!"
Zao, ignoring his companions accusations, turned to Taro and spoke firmly. "Practice or I break the sword." The dog's expression showed no lie in the canine's statement.
"C'mon, guys. Aren't you overdoing it a little?" Asked Taro putting his hand on the back of his neck with a grumpy expression. "You've been watching me 24/7, hiding my sword from me and making sure I only touch it supervised. That's a little overkill if you ask me."
"Because you keep trying to get to that thing all the time and it's creepy." Replied the pheasant, Zi, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "It's costing me my beauty sleep."
"Nobody cares about your beauty sleep, Zi." Taro blurted out grumpily before his eyes widened upon realizing what he had just said when Zi gasped in shock. "Wait- I didn't mean that!"
It was too late, however. The tears decorated the pheasant's eyes as he struggled to hold in the pain Taro's words had caused him. Throughout the sobs, shaking and tears, Zi was only able to utter one word. "What?"
"I- I didn't want to say that. I would never!" Replied Taro in a panic as he pet Zi on the head, trying to comfort the bird. "It just came out of nowhere like I was- was-"
"Possessed? That's why you need practice." Zuzu cut in narrowing his eyes with his arms crossed. "We'd be dead, damned and reincarnated ten times over before we let our buddy get corrupted by some crummy curse!" He said before Zao nodded in affirmation. Taro froze as he took in his companion's words. His lips quivered as he struggled to hold back his expression against the wave of warmth that washed over his clouded heart.
The peach boy paused before donning a determined expression and slowly approaching the sword to once again attempt to overcome its influence.
"Zao, give me all you've got this time."
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In the streets of Megapolis.
"Ugh, my everything." Groaned Taro in pain as he dragged himself forwards towards his home while holding his stomach. Zao, the one who inflicted all the pain looked away in shame as he watched his companion suffer because of him. "It hurts."
"Sorry." Said Zao apologetically as Zi patted him on the back sympathetically. Meanwhile, Zuzu held the sword with his telekinesis to keep it out of reach.
The peach boy couldn't find the strength to tell Zao it wasn't his fault. All he could do was groan as he suffered great pain. So much pain that he couldn't listen to whatever was going around him, including his name being called repeatedly. It was only when someone jumped on him, knocking the boy to the ground that he realized what was going on.
"Yo! Taro! Can you hear me?" It was MK and he was waving his hand in front of Taro's face without a care in the world.
"MK, you really need to stop jumping on my shoulders all random times." Replied Taro grumpily as he got off the ground with MK still on his shoulders as his companions quickly decided to keep their and the sword's distance.
"Whaaaat? But we've been doing this since we were kids! It's our thing!" Replied MK in shock as he hugged Taro's head. The peach boy struggled to come up with an answer before MK spoke once again. "Hey, by the way, where have you been these past few weeks? I haven't seen you at all. *Gasp* have you been running around with another little brother?!"
"Nah, it's just...uhh. how do I say this?" Replied Taro with a chuckle. "MK, your adventures are not for me and you've been having quite a lot of them. So I thought I'd just get in the way if I stayed. Plus, it's kinda your and their adventures. You know, with how similar you, Mei, Pigsy, Tang and Sandy to the pilgrims from journey to the-" The peach boy couldn't finish his words before MK grabbed his face with a shocked expression.
"WHAT?! B-b-but you're my bro!" MK cut Taro off. "We need you! I need you!" Taro sighed with a pout. The words escaping MK's mouth put a frown on his face as he knew that they weren't true.
"Listen, MK. It's just not for me and you have to accept that sometimes-"
"I GOT IT! We just have to find the PERFECT adventure to get you started. And Zi, Zao and Zuzu can join in too!" Exclaimed MK cheerfully, cutting Taro off once again. "We could even give you a cool title like...Peach Boy! Y'know? Cause you smell like fresh peaches all the time?"
"Yeah, I've been called that before." Replied Taro with an instinctive smile as he remembered Red Son calling him by that very same nickname.
"See? All we need to do come up with the perfect first adventure." Replied MK with proud expression before putting a hand on his chin. "Now, what to choose." Taro chuckled upon seeing MK's comical expression as he started thinking as hard as he could about a new adventure.
"How about we look at some of your old adventures? Maybe we could get some... inspiration?" Taro suggested as he put MK off his shoulders and back on the ground and ruffled his hair.
"Hmm, okay!" Replied MK cheerfully before he started remembering his adventures. "There was that time we faced spider queen."
""No."" MK and Taro said in unison before Taro spoke alone. "Yeah, I know how you feel about spiders." MK sighed in relief upon hearing that before he remembered his other adventures.
"There was that time we raced for a fake peach of immortality and you like peaches? But you're not a racer. There was that time I got trapped in fake world, but I don't how we could do something like that." MK rambled on as Taro watched with a smile, the pain from training already begining to fade away. "There was also a key I got from probably not the mayor and it could open any lock, but it got stolen by Red Son. There's also... Macaque."
"That last one sounded a little glum, what happened?" Asked Taro raising a brow curiously, causing MK to nervously chuckle. "Suspicious. Spill."
"Well, there was this evil mystic monkey guy who looked a lot like Monkey King called Macaque and-" said MK with a nervous smile before Taro put his hand over the Monkie kid's mouth with wide horrified eyes.
"Just forget about it. I don't wanna hear about a second one." Said The peach boy grumpily cutting MK off before turning to three kids playing ball nearby trying to change the subject. "If you want an adventure, we can try punching those kids." MK blinked in confusion before Taro realized what he had just said. "That sounded super wrong. They're demons disguised as kids."
MK, curious, used his gold sight of truth on the kids and what Taro said turned out to be true. The three were indeed demons and not kids at all. MK turned to Taro with his jaw dropping in awe. "Woah! How'd you do that?"
"Working at a hotel for as long as I have gives you a sense for people." Taro lied with a smile and a wink as naturally as he breathed, ruffling MK's hair as he did. "So? What are we gonna do about the demons?"
Before MK could reply, said demons were staring them with worried expressions. The moment both boys noticed this, the demons scurried off immediately. MK stared at the place where the demons were just standing in in shock. Taro saw this chuckled. "I guess that means the adventure is over, huh?"
"No! We've gotta have an adventure together! We're bros! We HAVE to do this. Just let me think!" Exclaimed MK before putting his hand on his chin and thinking. A few moments later, a bright smile made its way onto his face. "Got it! Buuut since I want it to be a surprise, you have to wear my headband as a blindfold."
"This feels like a terrible idea that'll have a lot of lasting consequences." Replied Taro in a serious tone. "I'm in!" He said with a smile before MK blindfolded him using his headband.
""Lego!"" The duo said in unison before MK took them to their next destination.
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Meanwhile.
Zi, Zao and Zuzu watched with serious expressions as their companion and MK ran off to who knows where.
"Why is dealing with Monkie boy always so exhausting?" Asked Zi tiredly as he crossed his wings in frustration.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Asked Zuzu innocently as Zao raised a brow curiously, earning a grumpy grumble from the golden pheasant. Zuzu shrugged before turning back to Taro and MK. "Let's go." Without hesitation, the trio began discreetly following the duo with Taro's sword in hand. At first, they were curious where MK was taking Taro. But when the Monkie kid pulled out his staff and created a vehicle with his powers to fly Taro over a whole sea, they became cautious.
Where was he taking him? Is it dangerous? Why did MK choose this place? These were all questions the plagued the minds of the trio as Zuzu flew telekinetically with Zao and the river sword while Zi flew beside them using his wings. Then, they reached it. "Ugh, are we there, yet?" Asked Zuzu grumpily as he put his hand on cheek from boredom.
"This is the 24th time you've asked this and for the LAST TIME, NOT YET!" Growled Zao angrily, tired of his companion's whining. The monkey blew a raspberry, causing the dog to grumble under his breath.
As if on cue, Zi cut in. "We're here!" He exclaimed getting the attention of Zao and Zuzu. In front of all of them stood a large land with one defining feature they all noticed, a mountain with a large waterfall. They were all understandably confused as none of them knew what this place was. That was until MK landed and took his headband off of Taro's face.
"Welcome, big bro, to flower fruit mountain!" Said MK cheerfully without a care in the world. Taro and his companions all felt their hearts sink in unison. The River sword, which had stayed calm before, started emitting a dark aura.
"MK, I think we sh-should head back." Said Taro swallowing his own saliva as he glanced in the direction of his companions. Zi, Zao and Zuzu all stood back waiting for if the confrontation were to happen. "I'm not feeling so good."
"Hold it in! This is an adventure, remember?" Replied MK cheerfully patting Taro on the back. MK noted how Taro's back felt different than usual. It was like a wall rather than someone's back. The Monkie kid ignored this when he noticed the Monkey King lazing on top of a large boulder. "Monkey King!"
Wukong noticed his successor and jumped off the rock and landed in front of the two boys gracefully. "Kid! And, uhh- who's this?" Asked Wukong cheerfully before noticing the look in Taro's eyes under his hat as they glowed pink. He wondered what he did to earn that look before he noticed that the boy smelled of peaches and then, he remembered. "You!"
"Me." Replied Taro, venom decorating his words before a black blade struck the earth between them; forcing the great sage to jump back as the shockwave flung MK and Taro's hat away, letting the wind brush through the boy's pink hair. Taro turned to MK with a frown before turning back to Wukong. "Y'know, I was planning go after you eventually, but I never expected it to be today." He finished before his three companions landed around him reading to fight, surprising MK.
"Taro-" said Wukong in a serious tone before MK cut him off.
"WAIT- YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?! AND DIDN'T TELL ME?!" Asked MK angrily, getting sighs from both Taro and Wukong. "AND SINCE WHEN CAN ZUZU FLY?!"
Wukong glanced at MK before turning to Taro with a frown. "Look, you don't have to do this. No one is chasing you anymore. I won't-"
"Do you really think I would trust a word from you after what YOU'VE done?" Taro remarked raising a brow, hatred clear in his eyes as he picked up the river sword from the earth in which it was lodged.
Wukong grit his teeth. "I didn't have a choice." He replied angrily as he clenched his fists.
The peach boy glared at Wukong before dashing towards him with a slash at immense speed. Wukong barely dodged, before Taro spoke. "Five HUNDRED YEARS and THAT'S all you have to say?!" He said before Zao slammed into Wukong's stomach like a bullet, sending the monkey king flying into the side of the mountain.
"What?" Asked MK in shock at Taro and his companions' sudden strength and at how they were attacking the monkey king. He tried reaching for Taro to get an explanation, but the peach boy had already dashed towards his enemy at immense speed along with his three companions.
Wukong grunted as he got off the side of the mountain before he jumped out of the way of an incoming beam of pink energy from Zuzu. The monkey king dashed into the air towards Zuzu, trying to knock him out. Zi quickly flew between them to block the attack, but Wukong expected this. The monkey king landed on Zi before using him as footing to reach Zuzu. But the moment he jumped, something grabbed his leg with an unshakeable grip. Wukong glanced at his trapped leg to see that Zi was holding him down by hugging his leg.
"I'm not a wall to be climbed, simian!" Said Zi in a serious tone before Taro unleashed a dozen arcs of pink energy towards the monkey king. The monkey king quickly transformed into a bird and flew out of the way, letting the arcs be absorbed into Zi's wings harmlessly before the pheasant threw them back at the monkey king, forcing him to dodge. Wukong transformed back into his normal form before pulling out a few locks of his hair before blowing on them. Before the hair could become clones of Wukong, Zuzu telekinetically gathered all the hair into one spot and blasted it all into oblivion. Wukong grit his teeth before he noticed Taro behind him about to attack. Wukong quickly transformed back into a bird, dodging Taro's slash by a hair thread.
Suddenly, Wukong felt an invisible force pushing down on his bird body forcing him to land immediately. Using his gold vision, he saw that the force came from Zuzu. The great sage hurriedly transformed into a tiger as he finally made it to the ground before he started running on all fours as he noticed Zao dashing towards him. The monkey king pounced onto Zao trying to get rid of at least one of them before Zao ducked under and pounced on Wukong as he was midair, sending the Monkey King hurdling through the ground and a few boulders.
Wukong quickly transformed back into his normal form and sent Zao flying into the side of a nearby cliff with a devastating punch. "Noted. Don't fight the dog on four legs." He muttered before seeing Taro, Zi and Zuzu land near Zao. A pink glow emanating from Taro enveloped the dog, quickly healing his injuries. "You guys have gotten stronger."
"Not being a toddler helps more than you'd expect." Taro growled at the monkey king with a hateful glare.
"You're never getting over that, are you?" Asked Wukong tiredly before he dashed towards Taro for a punch, trying to knock the boy out. Taro blocked said punch with his sword, letting Wukong witness its ominous aura in all its glory.
It was at this moment that MK finally arrived at a good spot to view what was happening. Unfortunately, that didn't mean much. The fight was happening at such high speed that MK's eyes couldn't make out what was happening. All he could see were flashes of pink, gold and black decorate the sky as the sounds of the battle haunted his ears. The Monkie Kid didn't know what was happening or why it was happening or even why his big bro hid his strength from him, but he knew he had to stop this fight.
Suddenly, a figure crashed from the sky next to him creating a large crater. "Big bro!" Exclaimed MK worriedly before he inspected the crater. However, instead of Taro, he found an injured Wukong. "What? Then-" before MK could finish his sentence he heard a crash from behind him and saw the menacing figure of his big brother staring at Wukong with glowing pink eyes and an ominous sword. Taro's clothes showed wear from sustaining Wukong's attacks. Soon enough, three more figures with glowing pink eyes landed next to Taro. His companions.
Wukong grunted as he got up from the crater before he walked forwards towards Taro with a broken posture. The peach boy did the same with his companions before MK stood between both sides. "Both of you, stop!" He exclaimed. "Can someone explain to me what's going on?! Big bro, Why do you wanna kill Monkey King? and Monkey King, how do you know Taro?"
Wukong fixed his posture upon hearing this question. He didn't want to hurt Taro. He knew the peach boy wasn't a bad person and from the looks of it, he was on great terms with MK. He wanted to preserve that. He knew there was a chance MK would hate him, but it was the right thing to do. Wukong inhaled, ready to say the truth before he was cut off by Taro.
"Don't call me that." Said the peach boy in a menacing tone, confusing and shocking MK. Before the Monkie Kid could ask what Taro means, the peach boy grit his teeth and spoke. "At first, I thought of you as a nothing more than a pet. But from the moment you became the Monkie Kid, I've hated you. I've despised you. THIS is why I refused to go on STUPID adventures with you. Every day, I've wished for you to die to some demon so I wouldn't have to look at your face again. Of course, I couldn't have that. I had to wait for you to lead me straight to Wukong."
Deafening silence filled the area. Even Taro's own companions didn't expect to hear this. Wukong's eyes widened in shock as MK spoke. "N-no! No no no no!" He said with a shakey smile, pleading and believing it to be a lie. "We're bros! Remember?!"
Taro took a deep breath as he aimed his sword at Wukong. The sword's dark and ominous aura shooting into the sky. "Yeah...and I'm a good liar. I'm a VERY good liar." He said before dashing towards Wukong once again, only this time MK jumped in the way to protect his mentor. Taro's eyes widened as the peach boy stopped mid way before Wukong pushed MK away. Seeing that MK was no longer in danger, Taro slashed the air, releasing a powerful arc of energy towards the monkey king.
The monkey king, unable dodge or block in time took the hit head on and was flung into a rock. The peach boy slowly approaching the unmoving Wukong and raised his sword to end the monkey king. His heart started to beat faster than ever. The boy waited years for this moment and his sword knew it. Dark aura was shooting out of his sword more than ever. This was it. Taro lowered his sword to plunge it into Wukong's heart. But in his excitement, he failed to notice a red and gold staff extend in length towards his left eye.
The staff dug into Taro's eye before knocking him to the ground. Zi, Zao and Zuzu, who had been too overwhelmed to act until now, finally snapped back into reality and stood protectively in front of their friend. Taro, on the other hand, covered his injury with his hand as much possible as a pink liquid covered his hand. The peach boy's vision became blurry as his eye throbbed with pain before the injury was enveloped by flowers and roots. They were sprouting out of the pink liquid and all over his face and hand non stop. The peach boy would try to do something, but he couldn't think properly with such an injury.
When the three Z's noticed this, they wordlessly agreed on their next course of action. Zuzu telekinetically drew a mystical circle around them and without hesitation, teleported them away to safety.
Silence filled flower fruit mountain before its king got out of his crater tiredly before turning to his successor. Tears flowed out of MK's eyes like twin waterfalls as the kid held a familiar orangish yellow hat. The monkey king could faintly hear quiet sobs and sniffs coming from MK and the worst part was that-
-there was so little he could do about it.
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Hope the trauma was worth the wait, lol.
Toodles.