Knocking. And the door opened. “I’m back Yue. Anything new to say?”

I didn’t respond.

“Oh, that’s it!”

Wukong grabbed me and pressed me down onto the bed. He hung over me, looking furious. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re either going to tell me or I can have my way with you right fucking now. So fucking say something.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I don’t know! Get angry with me! Scream at me! Hit me! Fly off on your sword! Do something besides just lie here! Be Yue!”

“I am being Yue! This is how I am.”

He growled. “No it’s not. The Yue I know is fiery, and determined, and compassionate, and she doesn’t take things lying down!”

“Why? Because you know me so well. I’ve been here for what, a full week now? And for most of that I’ve been doing exactly this.”

“Well, I know you couldn’t have been like this before. No one can live like this.”

“I hate to break it to you, but before you kidnapped me, this is mostly what I did. The only reason I even got out of bed the day you kidnapped me, was because Lady Ethereal kept bothering me about fulfilling my exercise requirement. Why do you even care? Do you feel guilty? I already told you I forgive you so you can just leave already.”

He growled again. “Oh, I don’t feel guilty anymore, especially if this is what I kidnapped you from. But if there’s one thing that pisses me off more than anything, it’s being ignored. So congratulations, because you have officially pissed me off!”

He jumped off the bed then lifted me up. He carried me princess style in the blanket.

“What the-“ He threw open the door and carried me out of my room. “Where are you taking me?”

“The bath! You look, and smell, terrible!”

“Wukong, I’m warning you. Put me down.” I grabbed onto his chi vow.

“No, you—” His muscles seized and a shriek ripped out of his mouth as I pressed his chi vow onto him. He fell to his knees, but he still didn’t drop me.

It lasted about fifteen seconds. I dropped it after that. He opened his eyes back up and stared at me, still in his arms. He never dropped me.

“Was that you?” He stared at me, shocked.

“I warned you. Now take me back.”

He gritted his teeth for a moment before taking a deep breath. “No.”

I hit him with his chi vow again. He clenched his teeth so hard, I could almost hear cracking.

Yet despite the pain, he didn’t hold me harder. He was still holding me gently.

I stopped at about thirty seconds. He caught his breath, slightly shuddering.

This was just torture at this point. This wasn’t why I made him take the chi vow. “Just let me go.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Why? If you’re doing this to fuck me, stop. Just stop. I won’t let you. I’ll never let you.”

He shook his head again. “This isn’t about that.”

“Is it really about me ignoring you?”

He shook his head again. “This is less painful.”

“That is less painful? Than what?”

“Watching you kill yourself.” With one last breath, he stood up again.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Why? Wouldn’t it be a relief for you if I died? You wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore. So just stop.”

“No. I’m going to take care of you, even if I have to fight you every step of the way. I promised you I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you, and I won’t. Even if it’s yourself I have to protect you from.”

I activated the vow again. I would make him drop me.

He gritted his teeth and stepped forward. Then did it again. Each step was a labor as he felt the most excruciating pain in his life.

He was so determined. I watched struggle with each step.

Finally, I cut out the vow. I refused to look at him while he paused and glanced at me. I didn’t want to torture him. I just wanted him to leave me alone.

He carried me out to the bath, the royal bath. And dumped me, still in the blanket, over the side.

I whipped the blanket off and threw it out of the water. I tried to subtly watch for his reaction. If he tried anything…

Unfortunately, his eyes were just full of pity.

I turned around, and just sat in the bath, not moving, not looking at him and not saying anything.

“Oh, now you’re just asking for it.” He marched out of the baths.

Should I make a break for my room? I thought about it, but decided that would be giving him too much of a reaction. I would sit here until I became a shrivelled prune to make him stop.

He came back, and slammed down a jar of water with a platter of fruit on top. “You are going to eat and drink.”

No I wasn’t.

He growled. I heard him moving around before he splashed into the water beside me.

Shit. He also got undressed and jumped in the bath.

No, I don’t care. He can do whatever the hell he wants.

He lifted up a cup that was on the platter and dunked it in the jar. He brought it up and drank it.

Was he trying to tempt me by showing how good the water was or something? He turned towards me with puffed out cheeks.

Fuck. He wasn’t about to do what I think he was.

He sat beside me and grabbed my face and kissed me. I activated the chi vow again, and considering the increased contact, it had to hurt even worse than before. Despite that, he pushed the water into my mouth, and I was eventually forced to swallow.

Once he pushed all the water into my mouth and ensured I swallowed it, he finally backed off.

He took a couple of breaths. And smiled. “Now, despite how painful that was, I’m not opposed to doing that again.”

Arrogant bastard. Just how high was his fucking pain tolerance? I jutted out my hand for the cup.

His smile grew even bigger as he dipped the cup back into the jar and gave me the water. I drank it down in one gulp.

I slammed it on the ledge, but he picked it up and dunked it again. He tried to hand it to me, but I ignored him.

He made to swallow it, and I angrily jutted my hand out again and he gave it to me. We repeated this process another two times before he was satisfied. He picked up a piece of fruit .

“Now, before we start this song and dance again, just know I will chew this piece of fruit and feed it to you like I did with the water.”

I held my hand out and wordlessly accepted the fruit. I chewed on it as he swam around me.

“I’m going to help wash you since it doesn’t seem like you have any interest in it. So consider yourself warned.”

He hesitated, then took a deep breath. Then grabbed my arm. He froze for a moment, clearly expecting pain. I didn’t activate the vow. It wasn’t because I felt bad, no, I just wanted to make it a surprise. If I used it too often, he’d just get used to it.

I ate the fruit he gave me and he began to rub my fur, getting all the accumulated sweat and dirt off until it returned to its original silvery-blue color.

Once I was finished eating, he plopped another piece of fruit in the hand he just finished, and moved on to my other arm.

And so it went. As soon as I finished a piece of fruit, he moved on and gave me another before starting again. From my arms, to my torso, to my legs, and my head.

He hesitated when it was time to clean my tail. He gave me a glance before reaching for it.

I swung it away from him. “No, I’ll get my tail.”

He seemed relieved. Tails were sensitive. I swallowed my pride and washed my tail myself.

Once it was back to its original sheen, Wukong nodded. “Good. Now keep eating fruit while I get washed. If I see you without fruit in your hand, I’ll feed you fruit myself.”

I continued munching, occasionally grabbing another piece, trying to ignore Wukong. Lunus it was hard though. My eyes kept trailing back to him and traced his figure as he scrubbed himself like he did me.

Bad brain. If Wukong saw me looking at him like that, he’d pounce on my weakness.

I ran out of fruit on the platter about the time he finished. He looked at the empty platter and nodded approvingly.

Finally. Bath time was over.

Wukong picked me up and set me at the edge of the bath. “I’ll ask the monkeys to grab us some towels. I’ll be back in just a moment.”

I just wanted to be done. I activated my chi and used my water moving trick to dry both of us instantly.

“There. Will you take me back to my room now?”

“Huh.” Wukong felt his fur before grinning again. “That’s a neat trick. And I’m not taking you back to your room.”

My heart hammered in my chest. “Then where are you taking me?” I swear to Lunus if he said his bedroom-

“It’s only morning. The day’s just getting started. I figured we could go out for a ride around the island on Nimbus, and then play some games with the monkeys in the jungle. You know, normal monkey things.”

“Just take me back to my room.”

“No. I’m officially kidnapping you a second time as of right now.”

“This isn’t going to change anything. I won’t change. I still want to die. Nothing you can do will make me change my mind.”

“Then, I guess I’ll keep this up for the rest of our lives.” He summoned his cloud, and gritted his teeth as I activated the vow again. But he set me down on the cloud, and then laid his staff in my lap. I struggled against it, but I couldn’t move it. Stupid fucking heavy staff.

“Sure you will.” I laid on my back, determined to not give him an inch as he floated us through the hallways.

I gave him one week before he gave up on me and moved on.