Chen looks around, realising he's in a room full of mirrors. He looks around desperately for an escape, but only sees multiple reflections of himself. His new self. Memories of a few months prior flash across his minds eye, reminding him of the doppelgängers words.

Visions of his own face tormenting him inside that damned calabash, then almost killing him while he was too helpless to do anything.

A small giggle sounded out around him, causing a chill to run up Chen's spine. His fur stands on end, giving away his fear.He whips around, looking for the reflection that was different.

He found it smirking back at him, the same damn smirk he'd seen before months ago, but with these recurring dreams he keeps having... it just feels like yesterday. It looked no different from before, it's hair still in a braid while his was out and level with his shoulders. The reflection tilts its head. "Well, well, well, long time no see, buddy! How've you been?"

Chen's fists clench in anger, and without giving the reflection another chance to speak he punches the mirror, smashing it. "Get out of here!" He yells, watching with satisfaction as the mirror cracks and falls apart, the smirking reflection disappearing. But it was only gone for a moment before it morphs into another reflection, giggling hysterically while clutching its stomach. "Aw! I thought you'd be more happy to see me!"
"Why the hell would I be happy to see you?! Get out of my head! I know this is a dream!" Chen snaps, twisting around to punch the mirror again.
A hand shoots out from the mirror and grabs a hold of his fist mid punch, but the force behind the punch was enough to cause the other mirrors to shatter to pieces. Chen's eyes widen in shock as the glass splits like water, the figure stepping forth with the same taunting expression as it stands before the young demon.

"You can yell at me all you want buddy, but it's not gonna do anything." The doppelgänger states matter-of-factly, twisting Chen's wrist and causing him to cry out in pain. "I'm you, remember? And you can't just tell yourself to leave, can you? I mean how stupid is that!" It laughs, still twisting.
Gritting his teeth from the pain, Chen manages to land a blow on the figures stomach, pushing him back and forcing him to let go. The doppelgängers back hits the mirror behind it, wincing and groaning in pain.

"You're not me, demon! I don't know who or what you are, but you're not welcome here!" Chen spat angrily. The doppelgänger chuckles, standing up straighter and brushing off the broken glass from its shoulders. "Oh you sweet naive child. There is no other demon here. Just you and your inner turmoil."

The figure takes a step forward, smirking as it notices Chen take a step back. "You can't get rid of me. You could bury me in your memory, sure, but I'll always be here." It taps its head. "Just waiting for you to break down."

Before Chen could react, it lunges forward in the blink of an eye, grabbing him by the throat and holding him in the air. Chen coughs and gasps, feeling his windpipe being crushed.
The figures grin widens, eyes glowing an eerie green as his hand starts to crack and glow the same colour, only tightening its grasp when Chen tries to pry its grasp away.

"You can't escape the beast. You can't escape yourself."

—

Chen snaps awake, bolting up in bed as he clutches his shirt, trying to calm his rapid heart beat. Shu, who'd been sleeping on the bed with him, jumps up in fright.

The young demon tries to calm his ragged breathing, his tail absentmindedly wrapping around him as he closes his eyes. "It was just a dream... just a dream..."

"Mrow?"

Chen opens his eyes, noticing Shu was now sitting in front of him. He reaches out a hand, gently petting her head. "Sorry bout that Shu. Just a bad dream..." He mutters. Shu doesn't seem to care, instead climbing onto his lap and curling into a ball. The young demon smiles softly, settling back down. But he knew he wouldn't be sleeping after that.

"-And that's how the Monkey King joined the pilgrims!" Tang explains, eating out of his bowl of totally not stolen noodles. Chen rolls his eyes as he does the dishes, wearing a pair of gloves to make sure he didn't get any unwanted fur in the water. His tail sways unconsciously behind him, tapping against the counter gently every now and again."You've already told me about how Monkey King joined the journey, Tang. I had to listen to you tell MK the tales of Monkey King and his pilgrim friends over a hundred times, remember? I just asked how Monkey King learned to transform. I want to know for... reasons." He says the last part awkwardly, turning back to look down at the sink as his ears flattened slightly. He tries to keep his gaze down on the plates as Tang talks.

Tang huffs, not picking up on the young man avoidance on his reasoning as he stirs the food in his bowl. "Then I'm sure I've already told you and MK that part of the story. Anyway, Monkey King learned how to do his 72 transformations from his teacher, Master Subodhi, remember?" He chuckles to himself, taking another mouthful.

"And... how long did that take him to learn?"

Tang pauses in is chewing, finally realising where this was going. The older man turns to look at Chen, who was avoiding his gaze and was suspiciously too focused on his chores. But Tang could tell from Chen's flattened ears and now stiff tail curled around his legs that the young man was anything but focused. Something was bothering him.
Tang hums in thought, pushing his glasses up his nose as he thinks on how to answer. "Weeeell... it DID take Monkey King several years to learn all his transformations..." he trails off, and the older man could've sworn he heard a frustrated sigh come from Chen. But with the clanking of dishes on the sink, it was hard to tell.

"Thanks Tang." he says quietly, not trying to be malicious but his tone made it sound so. The two fall into an awkward silence, Tang trying to find words as he watches Chen work. He'd always found it hard to comfort the boy, even after all these years because of how stand-offish he comes across when he's upset.

Tang clears his throat, putting his finished bowl of noodles down on the counter with a soft clink. He fully turns his chair to face Chen, noticing how the young man's shoulders hunch and his ears unconsciously swivel to face him, showing he was listening. "You know Chen, you're new look isn't bad. It's actually amazing how-" he starts before Chen's voice cuts him off. "Tang, please not now. I don't... I don't want to talk about it right now."
"Oh- uh, okay..."

There's more silence for a while, the only thing breaking the silence the sloshing of water and the clink of plates being stacked as Chen works. Tang's brows furrow, watching the young man. He sighs again, rubbing his hands together awkwardly. "Chen-"

"CHEN!"

The two jump in surprise as Pigsy comes back, having left a while ago to collect more supplies after finding he'd run out. He strolls inside, his hands full with heavy bags before the pig man dumps the bags onto the counter. "MK's called in sick. Ya mind takin over delivering for the day?" He asks, pointing to some undelivered orders.

"Sure thing, dad." Chen agrees, taking off his gloves and throwing them away. As he does so he notices how some fur came off with them. Great, he sheds too. Just another inconvenience to add to the list of reasons to dislike his new form.
Pigsy huffs in annoyance. "It's cuz he keeps staying up late! I swear if he doesn't stop pulling stunts like this, I'll get rid of that damned arcade machine..." he grumbles, getting a bowl of noodles ready to take upstairs to MK. "And hurry it up Chen! We're runnin behind!" Pigsy snaps at Chen's retreating form, whacking Tang's hands away from the bowl of noodles he's holding with the still hot spoon, causing Tang to flinch back and shake his hand.

"Alright alright, geez..." Chen scowls in annoyance, taking the undelivered noodles then heading out to his tuk-tuk. As he packs the food and gets in, he makes sure his horns don't tear the roof of the tuk-tuk. He really had to do something about that.

—

Chen stops in front of the old dojo he and Jade had claimed as their training hut, a bag of noodles in his hand. He stood frozen for a moment, a sliver of hope starting to fill him as he stepped inside. No, this couldn't be, could it?

"Jade?" the young bull demon calls out, looking around the dojo. Dust had started to collect in the small area last time he'd checked, but this time it looked unusually clean. "Oh sweet sage- Jade I swear to Buddha if you're not here-" Chen starts to mumble angrily under his breath. A creak of floorboards cuts him off, and the young demon whirls around to see Jade stepping out of the shadows. "Oh hey, you brought my noodles- OW!"

The snake demon yelps in pain as a painful punch is delivered to his shoulder, causing him to cringe away and hold his now bruising shoulder. "What was that for?!"
Jade looks back to Chen, only to be suddenly brought into a hug by the younger demon. "Where on earth have you been?! I thought the Spider Queen kidnapped and ate you or something!" he says aggressively, but Jade could here the relief in his voice.

The snake demon falls silent, not used to the affection especially from Chen. After a moment Chen pulls away, giving Jade another less painful punch on the shoulder. "Don't scare me like that again! I thought I'd have to hunt down Spider Queen to avenge you or something." the young man says half jokingly, giving Jade a genuine smile. But even Jade knew that Chen would be willing to do something that stupid.

How far this young man was willing to go for his friends and family confused the snake. Who would throw their entire life away for someone else?

"Wait- how did you know I was kidnapped by the Spider Queen?" the snake questions as Chen gives him his noodles. Chen chuckles, gesturing for Jade to sit down on one of the mats. "Rey actually did. They told me how you saved them from those spider bots."
"Oh- did-did they?" Jade laughs nervously, gripping his noodles tight as he sits down next to Chen. "Um- who-who else did they tell?"

"Just me, surprisingly. Don't worry, I told them of your situation." Chen explains. "Where have you been, anyway? You just left without a word, and I was... concerned something had happened to you." The snake demon scratches his neck awkwardly, looking away as he sets his noodles aside with a sigh. "Yeah, about that... I had to take a break, ya know? Dealing with the Spider Queen was tough, and I just needed some time away."

Chen hums in thought, raising a brow. "Alright, but you could've left a letter or something. I really thought you'd died."
"Yeah, I know now... anyway, enough about me! I see you've gotten a whole new look! Looks pretty great on you, if you ask me!"
The younger demon wasn't so pleased to hear this. He scowls and rolls his eyes. "That's easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with all... this." He says, gesturing to himself.
Now this left Jade confused, turning to Chen. "What's wrong with this?" he asks, watching as Chen's tail taps irritably on the wooden floor.

Chen falls silent, brows furrowed as he contemplated something. Jade tilts his head, sensing something was wrong with the young man, He places a gentle hand on Chen's shoulder, causing the young man to look at him. "Kiddo, what's wrong?"
The young demon pauses, his nose scrunching up as he thinks over his words. "It's just-" he sighs, leaning his chin on his hand. "Can... can I tell you something?"
Jade was taken aback by Chen's quiet, vulnerable tone. "Oh- yeah, sure kid."

The young demon glances at Jade, his ears lowering. "I just... I don't like my new form. Everybody's saying "oh how great and cool it is", but... I can't help but feel like this new transformation could... lead to something else." Chen looks away again. Jade raises a confused eyebrow. "Something else?"

Chen looks down at his hands, fidgeting with them as his tail starts to lash more violently against the ground. "Well it's just- what if I turn out to be an evil demon like my father? Or the Spider Queen? What if the transformation was just the start, and now it's only a matter of time before everybody I know and care about start to see me as a monster like them? I-I just-" he sighs in exasperation, looking at Jade. Seeing the snake demons concerned and stunned expression though, Chen immediately regrets opening his mouth. "I- forget it, it's stupid-"

He goes to stand up, but Jade's grip tightens on his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down. He turns to the snake. "Kid, you do know evil doesn't run in Spider Queens and DBK's blood like genetics, right?" Jade asks gently. Chen hesitates, glancing to the ground. "I, uh-"

"Chen, it was their own actions that lead them to become the demons they are today. As you see with the Demon Bull King now, they could've stopped at any time." He informs matter of factly. "But putting that aside, kid you're NOT them. You're not just a copycat of DBK who'll inevitably follow in his destructive footsteps. You're Chen, new demon form or not. You shouldn't let their image ruin how you see yourself. And with the friends who have your back, I'm sure you won't be making the same mistakes as them."

There's silence for a moment as Chen thinks over his words. Jade ruffles the young demons hair, chuckling awkwardly. "Just keep that in mind, alright? Now you better get going before your boss gets suspicious." Jade says, causing Chen to snap back to reality. "Oh- right right." He mutters, getting to his feet. He hurries towards the door, before stopping in the doorway. "Thanks, Jade." With that he was gone, leaving the snake demon alone. Jade smiles softly, as he watches him leave, before returning to his noodles.

—

As Chen drove his tuk-tuk through Megapolis, he thought over Jade's words. And to be honest? Having someone to listen to him and reassure him felt good, even though he hated to admit it. He hadn't wanted to trouble the already troubled snake demon-

"Help! Somebody help me!"

Chen's eyes widen and he brakes the tuk-tuk hard as a ginger-haired kid runs in front of him, tripping and falling onto the middle of the road. His tuk-tuk stops mere inches away from the kid, who was curled up on the ground in a ball and covering his head.
The young man leans out of his tuk-tuk, heart racing and adrenaline puming at the realisation he'd almost hit a kid. After catching his breath he grabs the kid by his arm, hauling him to his feet as he starts to scold him. "Kid! Watch where you're-"

A familiar cackle rings through the air, silencing Chen immediately. A chill runs up his spine as he lets the boy go, quickly looking around for the source . The young man soon spots the familiar shadow simian sitting on top of a nearby building, grinning from ear to ear as his tail sways lazily behind him. The young boy scrambles to his feet to hide behind Chen, as the young man gets into a defensive position.

"Hey kiddo! Been a while- love the new look! You're really startin' to look like your old man!" Macaque laughs again at his own statement, but Chen found it un-amusing as the boy cowers further behind him. The young demon glances at the kid, noticing how the boy was shaking as he looks up at the simian in terror. "Please help- he's been stalking me all day!" The young boys voice quivered, close to tears as he grips onto Chen's shirt.

This pissed Chen off, as he wraps a protective arm around the young boy and turns back to Macaque with a intimidating glare. "Why are you following him ya creep?!" He spat, determined to protect the frightened boy. At this, Macaque laughs out loud, holding his hands up in surrender. "Relax kid! I wasn't gonna do anything! I thought it'd be entertaining to tease a couple of humans!" He explains, barely containing his grin as he stands up. Chen stiffens, pushing the boy behind him further as he prepares himself for anything. But Macaque merely continues.
"Everybody needs a little entertainment in their lives once in a while, kid! Wasn't that what you used to do? Entertain the mortals with your "fights"?"
Chen scowls, bristles raised. "Get lost, Macaque! Or else-"

"Or else what? You'll beat me with your little baby powers?" Macaque smirks, seeing how his words were getting under Chen's skin. "You're way too easy to rile up, kid. But I'm not here for a fight." Macaque says with a snicker, as a shadow portal appears beneath him. "See ya later, Chen!
Maybe next time you'll be able to fight me."

With that he was gone. Chen was stunned. He... certainly wasn't expecting that. A quick look around them showed that no, Macaque wasn't trying to ambush them, and it truly seemed like he was gone.

The young boy wrapped his arms around Chen's torso, surprising him. "Oh gosh- thank you sir! I thought he was going to eat me!" The boy exclaims, refusing to let go of Chen. Chen laughs awkwardly as he tries to pry the boys (surprisingly strong) hands away. "Hey, no problem kid. Now do you mind? I kind of have to head back to work-"

"No wait! You're just gonna leave me alone? With that guy still running?! What if he comes back!" The boy yells, causing some people to pass by to stop and stare for a minute.
Chen glances around. "Well, uh... Where are your parents? Maybe I can-" he starts, but the boy furiously shakes his head. "My dad is working, and he doesn't exactly like it when I come to his work- can't I stay with you for today?" He asks hopefully, looking up at Chen with puppy eyes.
Now Chen was conflicted. Sure, he could leave the kid, but with that hot topic wannabe running around...

He sighs. "Alright, hop in." Chen gestures to his tuk-tuk, much to the boys glee as he climbs into the passenger seat as the bull demon gets into the drivers seat. "What's your name?"
"Érzi. Míhóu de érzi." The boy states, his gaze darting to an alley before looking around the tuk-tuk.
"Well pleasure to meet ya, Érzi, I'm Chen. Just put your seat belt on then we'll be on our way." He says, putting on his own. Érzi mimics, having a little trouble but managing to figure it out. "Now Érzi, I've still gotta work so I'm gonna take you to Pigsy's Noodles to hang out. That sound alright with you?" The young demon asks as he starts the engine. Érzi nods. "Better than being chased by that monkey!"
At this, Chen chuckles. "Yeah I suppose it is." He starts driving back to Pigsy's Noodles, the boy asking questions all the way.

—

"So what kind of demon are you?" Érzi asks, tilting his head with curiosity. His eyes scan over Chen's horns and ears, down to the fur sticking out of his uniform till they landed on his tail. Chen keeps his eyes on the road as he answers back. "Bull."

"Like the Demon Bull King?!"
Chen purses his lips, nodding. "Yep. Exactly like the Demon Bull King."

"Woah! That's so cool! Are you guys related?! The Demon Bull King is awesome!"

Chen pauses, glancing down at the boy in surprise. "You... don't think he's scary? Or intimidating cuz he's a bad guy?" He asks slowly, turning his attention back to the road. Érzi shakes his head. "Nah! I mean it was scary when he started attacking the city- but then when Spider Queen attacked he saved my favourite hero!"

Chen chuckles, remembering how DBK did save Monkey King and MK. He guessed in a child's eyes, if someone saves someone else, that means they must be good. "Let me guess, is it Monkey King?" He asks teasingly.

The boy pauses, flabbergasted. "What? No, it's the Monkie Kid! MK is amazing! He's always saving everyone AND is cool! When I grow up, I wanna be just like him!" Érzi exclaims, doing dramatic hand gestures. Now Chen was even more surprised. Oh this boy is gonna be in for a treat when they get back to Pigsy's Noodles.

"Alright, we're here." Chen says, pulling up in front of Pigsy's Noodles. As he parks, Érzi jumps out of the tuk-tuk, eagerly waiting for Chen. He once again glances at some dark alleys, which Chen assumed he must be still jumpy after being chased by Macaque.

The two enter, immediately being greeted by Pigsy. "Afternoon, kiddo! What can I getcha?" Pigsy asks, leaning on the counter to look down at the twelve year old. Érzi hesitates, so Chen steps in. "I'll get him something, pops." He assures, causing Pigsy to look at him in slight confusion. "I'll explain in the kitchen. Hey Érzi, why don't you go sit at a table while you wait?" Chen suggests. Érzi nods, going to sit at a table.
Pigsy and Chen step into the kitchen, leaving Érzi with Tang and Mei.

"Alright, mind tellin me what's goin on? Why are ya baby sitting this kid?" Pigsy asks, crossing his arms. Chen sighs, getting to work. "Macaque was chasing him."
"What? Why?"
The bull demon shrugs. "I don't know. As soon as I showed up he disappeared. The kid was too freaked to go back home, so I brought him here to hang out until his dad gets off work." He explains. Pigsy hums, thinking it over. "That's certainly... odd."
"You tell me."
Chen finishes Érzi's noodles, leaving the kitchen. "But what I do know is this kid's gonna have a field day when MK comes back."

He enters the shop once more, walking over to Érzi. "Here ya go buddy. One bowl of noodles for ya. Do you want anything else?" He asks. When Érzi shakes his head, Chen takes a seat across from the boy and pulls out his phone, texting MK.

Chen: monkey boy some1 wants to meet u

He puts his phone back in his pocket, leaning back in his chair. He doesn't notice Mei coming up behind him until she pops her head around the back of the seat, startling him. "Sooooooo who's the kid?" Mei asks as she gestures to Érzi, who was too occupied with the noodles to notice her.
After composing himself and shooting Mei a small glare, he sighs, lazily pointing to the boy. "This is Érzi. There was a little incident with another certain demon, so I'm looking after him."

"Ooooooh I didn't realise you were the babysitter kind, Chen." Mei teases. Chen shrugs. "I mean I get enough practise with you and MK, so..."
"Wha- hey! I don't need a babysitter!"

Chen cackles as Mei starts whacking him, holding his arms up in defense.
By now Érzi was staring at them with interest, having heard the name of his hero. "Did you say-"

"I'M HERE I'M HERE-" MK bursts into the small noodle shop, out of breath. Why? Chen had no idea why. But as Érzi turns to the door and sees his hero, he was ecstatic. "Oh my sage- NO WAY! It's you!" He yells, getting to his feet and rushing over to MK, excitedly holding out his hand. MK stops in his tracks. "Huh-"

"You're the Monkie Kid! I'm your biggest fan! I'm Érzi- oh! Can you sign this?" Érzi reaches into his pocket, pulling out a hand drawn picture of MK posing with the Monkey King staff.
Chen watches as MK's expression turns from one of surprise to pure glee and flattery, taking the picture in his hands as he looks down at it with wonder. "Woah, a fan? Holy- this is- wow! It's nice to meet you Érzi! I'm MK! But you probably already knew that-"

Chen leaves the two by themselves for a sec. He pops his head in the kitchen. "Hey Pigsy, are there any more deliveries today?" He asks. Pigsy turns around from his place. "Yep, there's still a few left. Is MK back yet?" He asks. Chen looks back at Érzi and MK, noticing how Mei was now taking a picture of MK and the ginger haired boy with his newly signed picture. He smiles. "Yeah, but I'll take over for him for the next hour." He says, taking the deliveries. Pigsy was confused and annoyed but didn't question it.

As Chen passes by Tang, he leans in. "If you watch the kid for an hour I'll give you extra free noodles."
"Oh ho ho ho- deal." Tang chuckles. With that Chen heads over to Érzi. "Hey buddy, I gotta go back to work- but Mr. Tang and MK are gonna watch you till I come back, kay?"
Érzi was even more excited by the news. "Okay!"

"Ya know if you ask I'm sure Mr. Tang could tell you stories of MK and Monkey King." He says before stepping out the door.

(An hour later...)

Chen sighs, exhausted as he stops at the front of Pigsy's Noodles. The sun was setting, and he knew he had to get Érzi back home soon. Hopping out of the tuk-tuk he enters Pigsy's Noodles once more, being met with the sight of Érzi quietly sitting next to MK and Mei as Tang told the story of the Spider Queens attack in great detail. Pigsy was wiping down the counter, done cooking for the day and ready to close the shop.

"And so everyone helped take down the Spider Queen- oh hey Chen." Tang greets. Érzi turns back to Chen, now with a look of pure awe. Chen didn't think much of it as he stretches. "Hey guys. Alright Érzi, I think it's time I get you home." He says. Érzi nods, getting to his feet. "Thank you for having me today!" He says as he stands next to Chen.

Saying their goodbyes, Chen and Érzi climb into the tuk-tuk together once more. "Alright Érzi, you tell me where you live and I'll drop you off."
With Érzi's instructions, he starts to drive.

"... You didn't tell me you were the guy that helped Monkie Kid take down Red Son and Spider Queen." Érzi says out of the blue. Chen shrugs, keeping his eyes on the road. "Meh, didn't seem that important. MK's your favourite, remember?" He says with a smile.
"I think the other heroes are cool too!"

Chen chuckles, noticing the address. It was familiar. "Oh- this where you live?" Chen asks as he parks outside a small dojo. The two get out and walk up to the small building, Chen getting deja vu. It wasn't the same dojo he MK and Macaque had trained in, but it looked similar.

Érzi nods. "Yeah, we live here. It was all dad could afford, surprisingly." Érzi says, walking up to the door. Chen follows, standing behind the boy as he knocks on the door. "Hey dad! I'm home!"

There's some movement behind the door before it opens, a familiar man standing in the doorway. Chen recognised him as one of his customers from a few weeks prior.

"Érzi! There you are! Where have you been?" The man asks in a concerned tone as he pulls Érzi into a hug. "Do you realise how late it is- who's this?" The man asks, letting go of the boy. Érzi turns to Chen. "This is Chen! He saved me from a demon today!" The boy explains, as Chen waves sheepishly. "Hey-"

"Oh hello, I recognise you. You work for Pigsy's Noodles as one of the delivery boys!" The man says, holding out his hand. "Well thank you for taking care of my son- I know he can be a handful." He chuckles at his own words, Érzi pouting behind him. "You have my gratitude."
Chen shrugs. "Its no problem, sir. Glad I could help."

"Sorry if this is so sudden and rude, but if you don't mind... may my son hang out with you during the week days? He doesn't exactly have anyone else to be around, and I'm always working..."

Chen was a little surprised. "Oh, uh- I'll have to ask my boss, but I'm sure if he behaves himself he'll be ok with it." The young man says. The man grins, his teeth a little sharper than they should be. "Oh thank you, young man. I promise, he'll be on his best behaviour. Right Érzi?" He says, turning back to look at the young red head. Érzi nods excitedly. "Heck yeah! Oh my sage thank you Chen!"

"I'll drop him off in the morning then." The man says. Chen nods. "Uh ok- see you in the morning then, sir. See ya tomorrow buddy."
The man closes the door, and Chen walks back to his tuk-tuk. He couldn't put his finger on it, but that guy gave him the heebie-jeebies. Shaking it off he drives off, heading home.

A/N: idk if renting a dojo is cheap (doubt it) but pretend it is lmaoo I'm too lazy to research.