Taken || Lego Monkei Kid

Chu

The absence of the Monkey Prince on Flower Fruit Mountain was heavy. Yet, there was a lingering piece to fill in the gap. Just enough to draw a few smiles here and there.

It didn't have a name.

Little Shade, or Shade for short, is what it's parents called it.

It was a shade, a shadow of someone else. A copy of an original that was no longer present. It had been made for the purpose of stealing tea, then given a second purpose of laying still for a few days- breathing. All to set the false impression it's Master was still in his room.

When it's parents had come and discovered it, the purpose of "pretend" was done. This left the shadow purposeless. Normally, a shade like itself would have dispersed by now and be returned back to the shadows of it's creator. For some reason it's parents had it lingering. They would pat it's head, offer it snacks despite not needing food, and let it follow them around.

It liked following them around. Never normally getting to explore this much, it had the chance to scribble drawings on paper, chase bugs, and almost got swept away by the river's currents. It was fished out by it's panicked "Dad", who scolded it, hugged it, and took it's hand to walk it away from the river.

It helped gathered fruit, played with the tribe, and watched its parents. It watched how they barely slept... barely ate...

Even when it brought them food they would give it weak smiles and pat it's head. "Sweet Little Shade..."

It didn't understand why they seemed to be... suffering? It made it's heart ache and it's form wobble. He would find "Baba" going over maps and search routes with an exhausted expression. Would find "Dad" curled in the bed of it's Master, sniffling softly into the night. Murmuring apologies and regrets.

Why were they sad... when it could tell it's Master was so Happy?

It had lost it's full connection with it's Master the night he left. To ensure he was unable to be tracked. You could normally consider it a road, one the shadow could always walk back to return, always seeing it's Master in the distance.

That road was just gone now, but it could still feel him- feel Xiaotian.

It was sure if it was fully dispersed it would return. Since that wasn't happening it was left to just feel the faintest magical traces of it's Master.

It had seen a few other shades spend a long time out of the shadows and into the light. They came back all a little different. Some more smiley, more rounded- defined...

Shadows and clones getting a bit of personality like "Dad's" clones tended to.

As it stared itself in the mirror, it too noticed a change. Gold. Gold eyes. A sliver of power it could feel in the far distance. It's Master had found him. The other half... The one they sought. It could feel the other shades rejoicing sometimes.

It couldn't share or reach out to them being disconnected like this... The others in return had no means of knowing what was going on. What it was witnessing. Not until it was dispersed. Shade wished its "parents" would get it over with. Ah but, it didn't want to leave them either. They were so sad... it liked to give them hugs to assure them.

On one night, Baba had cupped it's face, a distant look in his eyes. "One day you'll go back to him... and he'll remember all you've seen," Baba says, knowing well how the shades worked. Anything they experienced or witnessed would return as visions to the original. "I'm sorry, MoonDrop. I don't... I don't blame you for running away." His lower lip trembled. "I've lost everything before... everything. Your Father, our home, years of my life- I even lost myself for a time." his fingers touched the blue scar peaking below his scarf. "I didn't want that to happen again. I let fear cloud my thoughts. I even promised myself I wouldn't let emotion get the best of me again like it did when...when your Father and I were parted from each other." He lowered his head. The shade by impulse leaned closer, pressing it's forehead to it's "Baba". His "Baba" smiles, "Good little Shade... The shadows show the truth of a person, you know. They show their true nature." He mused, "Sweet and lovely my Son is...Sweet and lovley you are."