Qi Xiaotian sighed as he shoved some tools into a bag that he and his siblings, Nya and Kai, had made. It wasn't probably a good idea for them all to be making tools this since MK was 10, Kai was 8 and Nya was 6. But it was the least they could do to put food on the table and clothes on their backs. They lived in a village that was more about farming than most and the Smith siblings only had a blacksmith shop to call home, so they might as well use what they have in order to survive. Sure, some villagers gave the three food and clothes they no longer used, but the three had to pay for the shop somehow. Xiaotian messed with the bag that was on his back and sighed again as he walked to the doors.
The sun was still rising so naturally, Kai and Nya were asleep. Before Xiaotian left, he looked upstairs and listened, hearing soft snores. Xiaotian turned back to the door and reached for the knob until he heard a floorboard creak, Xiaotian gasped as he turned and saw a young Kai rubbing his eyes, holding a red dragon in his arms as he was on the steps that led to the second floor. The stuffed toy was ironic considering what his future held. "MK? What are you doing?" Kai asked, the nickname was a name given to Xiaotian because of how hard his name was to pronounce for Nya. But back to the current time, Xiaotian frowned as he walked over to Kai. "I should be asking you the same thing, why aren't you in bed?" Xiaotian whispered as he walked up to his brother.
"I heard sounds..." Kai mumbled, and Xiaotian smacked his forehead. He noticed how Kai flinched and frowned again. "I'm sorry Kai, I'm not angry at you." Xiaotian apologized, Kai looked up in hope but curiosity still filled his naive eyes. "I'm going out to sell tools to some of our neighbors, some start earlier in the morning." Xiaotian said, Kai nodded slowly to show that he was trying to understand but didn't at the same time. To be fair, the young child had just woken up to Xiaotian packing things into a bag. "Why don't you go back upstairs? Bai Se will have breakfast at her place like usual, but I'll be back at lunch." Xiaotian said, Kai nodded again and walked up the stairs groggily.
Xiaotian smiled and raced back to the door, quickly leaving and being sure to be silent. But what the young boy didn't know was this was the last morning he'd see his brother and sister waking up in the shop. Xiaotian didn't stay long and ventured to the neighboring houses, some farmers did buy what Xiaotian could offer but most gave him food and clothes. MK even made it to the main village and stayed there for a while. Xiaotian sighed as the sun shone bright, the shade from the cherry blossom tree protecting the young child. Xiaotian looked up at the mountain that seemed below the sun. He held up his fingers to rest below the sun and sighed as he realized it was the middle of the day.
So much for getting to the shop at lunch. The trip was usually an hour but it was worth it when Xiaotian received money for his long journey. Xiaotian grabbed his somewhat empty bag and began to head out, stopping a few times as the children playing outside tried to play with him. "Sorry guys, but I gotta get back to Nya and Kai!" Xiaotian said, ignoring some of the adult's gaze as he kept walking. As like said, the walk was long, but Xiaotian was relieved when he kicked open the door and set his bag down. "I'm back guys! Sorry, I took so long but-" Xiaotian yelled and froze when he noticed the coals on the ground. The heater was wide open with small fingerprints on the door. Xiaotian walked over to it and raised his hand to it, it was hot.
Xiaotian looked upstairs and thought the worst as he closed the heater and ran up to the top floor. "Guys?!" Xiaotian yelled, he was shocked when he saw the room was trashed. "No, no, no, no, no!" Xiaotian yelled as he dashed out of the house and ran to the neighbors, begging to know if they'd seen his siblings. No one knew anything and Xiaotian eventually stopped at a bus station. What if, if his siblings got onto a bus by accident? From what Xiaotian saw, one of them got into the heater, messed with the coals, and got burned. He didn't see Bai Se so they probably ran to her. Because the village doesn't have a doctor, the closest one was to Ninjago City.
Without even thinking, he bought a ticket with the last of his money and hopped on the next bus. Xiaotian tried to stay calm as his leg bounced and his eyes dart everywhere. He didn't even have to hear the bus driver announce their arrival as Xiaotian dashed out the door and ran to the hospital. Bai Se had taught him where it was just in case she was gone and one of the three Smith siblings got hurt. It never happened as Bai Se was basically a mother to them, but Xiaotian forgot this as he dashed into the hospital. He begged to know if his siblings were there, only to find that no children had even stepped into the hospital. As this news was brought to Xiaotian's attention, he ran out before the nurse could get Xiaotian to write down his parent's contact info, not that he knew it.
Eventually, Xiaotian found himself at some docks again and sat on the boards. He didn't know what to do. He was alone, his siblings were missing and he had no more money to return to Ninjago. Xiaotian could just walk there, but it would at least take a week. What was the point, no one was actually waiting for him back home? Xiaotian's thoughts burst suddenly when he heard a horn. He turned and gasped, a boat holding several boxes labeled "Megapolis" or "Monkey King Merchandise", the last one catching Xiaotian's attention more than the other. But since Xiaotian was still a child, he let his wants lead him and Xiaotian found himself on the boat. He was able to hide between the boxes and opened one, his eyes shining bright as he saw a yellow jacket with Monkey King's face on the back. It wasn't his exact face obviously, just a cartoon of what most think he'd look like.
He grabbed it and smiled, but the smile was wiped away when he felt the boat moving. With the jacket in hand, Xiaotian ran out of the boxes and to the edge of the boat, his eyes widening as he saw Ninjago City becoming smaller as he left the docks. Seeing as he knew he had no other plans, Xiaotian returned to the boxes and hid in them. He put the jacket on and slipped into the box he stole it from, finding warmth in it and soon falling asleep. It was dark anyways and the boat's vibrations calmed him.
Revised: 11/29/2022
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Family from Afar
FanfictionAfter the defeat of LBD, life in MK's city couldn't be better. Heck even Macaque and Wukong are going through therapy and aren't trying to kill each other every second of the day. Mei is able to add something important into her life and Redson is sl...
