I've begun the edits for Blood Money. I will post other chapters as I get them done. Please let me know what you think of the expanded story.

The pendant gleamed in the sunlight streaming from the windows as Monkey dangled it in front of his eyes. The large emerald was surrounded by an ornate gold and silver pattern that snaked this way and that, creating a gorgeous dragon-like figure surrounded by stars. It was beautiful. It was one of the greatest treasures Monkey had ever seen. And it belonged to the Dragon Warrior's father.

"Oh, Po," he murmured. "Why does it have to be yours? I never would have taken it. Curse my stupidity."

And Monkey knew that he was, indeed, stupid. He was a thief, groomed from a young age to steal valuables of all kinds. His childhood was off-limits to his friends, and not even Master Shifu knew what he was before Oogway brought him to be taught by the red panda. He shivered at the thought of the master. If Shifu ever found out that he was a thief, Monkey was sure that thunder would rain down from heaven and swallow him whole.

"Oh, " Monkey groaned, nausea making his stomach clench. He nearly jumped out of his skin when somebody spoke behind him.

"Are you all right, Master Monkey?"

Monkey spun around so fast that he nearly tripped over his own feet. For a brief moment, he thought he would faint as his vision narrowed and his face grew warm. Relief flooded the simian as soon as he registered that it was not his master. A servant goose stood there, alarmed as he took in the swaying Monkey.

"Master Monkey?" the goose ventured.

Sucking in a breath, Monkey straightened and stood with his stolen prize behind his back. His training kicked in as his lips spread into a lazy smile.

"Nothing, friend," he said. "Hard session. I was just taking a rest."

The goose looked the monkey up and down. He wasn't entirely convinced, but he knew it wasn't his place to question the masters. The goose inclined his head, his sharp brown eyes scanning the simian's form.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

Monkey only waved his hand and shook his head. "I'm fine. I was just a bit winded. Thank you for your concern, but I promise I don't need anything. Please, go about your business."

That casual assurance seemed to be enough because the goose relaxed and bowed. "If you insist, Master."

"I do."

The goose waddled off, leaving Monkey alone. As soon as he was out of sight, the primate sprinted for his room. He couldn't let anybody else catch him. He might be able to fool a servant, but he would have a harder time with his friends. Fooling Master Shifu would be impossible; he was just as observant as the old turtle had been, and he grew sharper every day.

Monkey barreled into his room, sliding the partition closed. Sinking to his knees, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He cradled the pendant in trembling hands, gazing down at the gleaming gold that had attracted his attention the night before. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he stop? Why did he have to steal?

Because that was the truth. He had to.

Unable to stop the flow of memories, Monkey fell through the haze of time to his origins in a faraway city. Flashes of his past passed before his eyes. Thousands of coins were snatched, valuables swiped, and heists planned and executed. Each job reinforced the training that had been drilled into his skull since he had been able to walk. And now, so many years later, the urge to steal refused to be ignored. He had to have that rush, the elation of a job well done, and the only thing that satisfied the itch was stealing.

Monkey had tried to distance himself from that life. He had run hundreds of miles from his gang, hiding his identity amongst hundreds of other monkeys. He tried to live without stealing. He really did. But the ache in his empty stomach finally compelled him to swipe a purse. His full stomach hadn't felt as good as the thrill of getting away with his crime.

Again and again, he attempted to break the habit, and again and again, he was unsuccessful. After years of struggling to be an honest citizen, he was finally forced to admit that he could not stop by himself. He had given himself over to the urge, allowing it to control his life. After moving to a small village, he became known as a jokester, a jerk who humiliated others for fun. The truth was that he humiliated others to push away the shame that only increased with each theft. His life became bleak, full of false laughter during the day and thefts at night. And then the village leader did something that would change Monkey's life forever. He called in backup.

Oogway had defeated him, but he showed such compassion and kindness to the fallen jokester that Monkey hadn't minded. For the first time in his life, he willingly bowed to somebody, not because they owned him, but because he respected him. Oogway then began to tutor him, teaching him about honor and loyalty and peace, and Monkey had absorbed the lessons with great enthusiasm. He sat at the aged turtle's feet, learning from an elder with no threat of punishment over his head.

After a mix-up with a scroll, Monkey came under the teaching of Master Shifu. Moving to the Jade Palace had been a magical experience. After spending his entire childhood stealing valuables, he was surrounded by riches beyond anything he'd ever known. But as he settled into his new life, the old craving had reared its ugly head again. Monkey had resisted for as long as he could, but his addiction won, and he swiped several objects worth more than anything he'd ever stolen.

Oogway found him in his room, glaring at the objects with tears in his eyes. Oogway, in his usual calm way, had asked what Monkey was doing with such valuable items in his room. Monkey shrugged, refusing to look at him. Oogway picked up a jeweled bird, turning it this way and that before asking a question that made Monkey's face burn in shame.

"Why did you steal these items?"

Monkey gritted his teeth together and ground out his reluctant answer. "Because I have to."

What followed had been the most open, revealing conversation he had ever had with another person. Oogway did not judge him for his addiction, listening attentively before offering Monkey a way to control his urge. Monkey agreed wholeheartedly and returned the stolen items after giving them a good polish to avert suspicion.

Oogway's offer was simple. Monkey could steal, but only from Oogway himself, and the turtle promised to make it a challenge. Several valuable items were approved for their 'game' and Monkey relished the opportunity to show off his great skill. The best part was that Oogway, as aware as he was, never caught Monkey with the stolen items visible. And the old master's praise warmed a cold, angry part of the Kung-Fu warrior, a part that harbored deep inside of his heart, hidden away from his friends. But the fact was that Monkey despised his own upbringing and the criminals that had raised him.

The truth that ate at his heart, filled his mind before he went to sleep, and made him feel like less of a person was connected to those men: they owned him. And there was no way that Monkey could purchase himself, no matter how much money he had. Somebody else had to purchase him to set him free. And though he'd thought again and again about asking his friends to do so, he couldn't bring himself to admit that he was not his own person, that he was a slave.

To make things worse, Oogway had been gone for months, meaning that there was nobody to reset the objects, to challenge him. And so, with no more items to steal, the urge, which had been fading over time, began to grow again. It grew to swallow Monkey's whole world until all of his thoughts circled around getting his fix. And then, the night before, Monkey had broken.

Under the cover of darkness, dressed in black, Monkey had snuck into the village and stolen from the unsuspecting townsfolk, the very same people who depended on him to protect them from bandits. So excited to finally be back in his element, he hadn't realized just who he was stealing from. And when Po had come up to the Jade Palace, panting and clutching his stomach, Monkey's world had tunneled.

He had stolen Po's family heirloom. It was ancient, passed down from father to son for twenty generations. It was Mr. Ping's prized possession, worth far more than any of the other items that Monkey had snatched. The gleam of gold in the moonlight and his paw taking it gingerly from its sealed box was seared into his mind.

To his shame, Monkey felt nothing about his other thefts, but he was horrified that he had stolen a treasure from one of his best friends. And if Shifu found out that it was Monkey who had ransacked the village? Monkey didn't dare think of it. But he knew that whatever Shifu would do to him, he deserved so much worse.

After gazing at the gleaming pendant for a few moments in the safety of his room, Monkey pulled up a floorboard and set the heirloom on top of his other stolen goods. As he placed the floorboard back over his hiding place, a nauseating feeling filled his whole body. What was he going to do? Who could he turn to?

He feared he knew the answer: Nobody. And that terrified him.