~The Edenian Tigress and the Shaolin Dragon~ [Chapter 1]
Spring.
The season of flowers waking from their icy slumber and new life being brought into the world.
The scenery, which reflected and defined its very essence, spoke of peace and tranquility as the cherry blossom trees were a sight to behold at this time of the year; sakura petals lazily drifting through the cool breeze before they rained upon the sacred grounds of the Wu Shi Academy in a gentle storm.
A massive lei tai ring, which was suspended above a shallow pond, was being held firmly in place by four, long braided ropes that rested within the hands of the erected statues that honored monks of history's past; the image of a fearsome ebony dragon with crimson eyes ablaze and a long, forked tongue flicking at the air currents adorning its surface.
As a lone shaolin monk meditated in the middle of the ring, a black derby hat rimmed with a thin sheet of steel resting comfortably upon his head to hide his short, ebony bangs as his strong, gentle heartbeat drummed in perfect rhythm with nature, a serene expression gently flitted across his handsome face as the environment brought him the peace of mind that he hadn't felt in a while.
But, of course, no matter how hard he meditated, the painful memory of discovering the broken body of his best friend and fellow shaolin monk would always resurface at the most inopportune of times; the gruesome image of his neck bending in a un-natural angle as brown eyes that normally displayed warmth and righteousness rolled into the back of his head and lightly tanned skin grew colder with every passing moment.
It made his blood boil.
It was too surreal to even believe.
When his master, Bo' Rai Cho, had come to him one day during his daily training regimen to relay the devastating news of the champion of Mortal Kombat's tragic death at the hands of the short-lived uprising of the Deadly Alliance, a myriad of differing emotions washed over him like a tidal wave; rage, sadness and heartbreak being the most prominent.
So, as he traveled with the rest of the warriors that were selectively chosen to protect Earthrealm under the request of its protector, the god of thunder, Lord Raiden, with the combined strength of the Edenian militia that was being personally led by Princess Kitana herself, they singlehandedly lay waste to what remained of Shao Kahn's forces.
He was going to avenge his fallen brother's death.
Once the warriors finally managed to reach the massive palace where the Deadly Alliance would be waiting; the ominous Soulnado glowing eerily in the distance, the shaolin warrior and the ancient Princess hurriedly made their way inside while their comrades stayed behind to provide a distraction as they engaged the Tarkatan army that were standing guard outside the palace walls to prevent them from progressing any further.
In the final battle with the evil, soul consuming sorcerer, the shaolin warrior had mastered a powerful technique that had been taught to him by his master that was aptly named "The Whirlwind Kick," and as Shang Tsung lied in a crumpled heap on the marble floor; breath coming in ragged gasps and his face bloody and bruised as he attempted to stand, he heard the distinct footsteps of his adversary as he approached before he was lifted by the throat in a aggressive hold.
As the grip upon his esophagus tightened ferociously with every passing moment until it felt like it would be crushed from the immense pressure, Shang Tsung finally managed to croak in a strained whisper "Kung Lao...please. I beg...of you. Show...mercy."
"You would dare ask me to spare your life after you have consumed the countless souls of innocent people alongside being partially responsible for ending the champion of Mortal Kombat's life?" the shaolin dragon replied icily; his rich chocolate eyes, which were normally gentle and understanding, hardened in malice. "You are not deserving of a final request. May you rot in the darkest pits of the Netherrealm for all of eternity."
With practiced ease, as the shaolin warrior brought the thin sheet of metal that made up the edge of his derby hat down in a clean, cleaving motion, as Shang Tsung's body split into two mangled halves; an inhuman screech of agony sounding from his vile, weathered lips as his tainted blood pooled onto the smooth, glossy flooring beneath him, he breathed a sigh of relief as the faintly glowing essence of the thousands of souls that he had consumed over millennia all wailed in a haunted chorus of harmony; grateful to him for finally freeing them after they had been imprisoned for so long, and as they began to ascend, as he uttered a silent prayer to the Elder Gods, he hoped that they would find safe passage into the afterlife.
After he wiped off the blood that marred the otherwise spotless surface of the metal of his hat with a special cleaning cloth that he retrieved from his pocket, he headed downstairs to check on how Kitana was faring in her battle with the other monstrous sorcerer; waiting to lend her his assistance if she requested it.
As he approached his comrade, her back was turned to him; her deadly, yet, beautiful Steel Fans gleaming faintly in the moonlight as blood dripped from the lethally sharpened tips.
"Kitana, are you all right?" the shaolin dragon asked quietly as he patiently awaited for a response.
"Yes, Kung Lao. I am fine," Kitana quietly replied as she stood to face him; braided ponytail swaying elegantly behind her as she did so.
With a proud smirk that graced full lips underneath the sapphire blue veil that hid the lower half of her beautiful face as rich chocolate eyes roared ferociously, Kitana revealed the cause behind her triumph.
Clutched firmly within porcelain fingers, was the severed head of Quan Chi; the blood that oozed out from the broken skin and severed muscle tissue pooling underneath it on the floor as emerald eyes were eternally frozen in shock.
"The severed head of the sorcerer who has become an accomplice in ending my beloved's life will count as being one of my greatest trophies. It will serve as a reminder that this fate will befall any who would seek to threaten my homeland," Kitana ground out in a low growl.
As the Princess sheathed her bloodied Steel Fans behind her and she safely secured the pale sorcerer's severed head to her hip, the shaolin warrior softly advised "Come, Kitana. We should head back to the others. They must have silenced those Tarkatan brutes by now."
"Of course. Let us go," Kitana replied quietly as she leaned against her comrade's strong, sturdy body for support.
As the two warriors began to make their way out of the palace; exhaustion clearly wearing down upon both of them, they sincerely hoped that the events that had transpired this night would forever be lost in memory.
After he had successfully completed his mission in Outworld, when he returned to the Academy a few days later, he reported to the elder monks that he had finally avenged the death of the Champion of Mortal Kombat.
"You can rest easy now, brother," he uttered softly as he recited a simple prayer. "Your murderers have been brought to justice."
As Kung Lao stretched the taut muscles in his lower back as they popped uncomfortably in protest, as he decided to retire to his private chambers for the rest of the afternoon, the one thought that he had sincerely tried his hardest to erase from the recesses of his mind suddenly plagued him like an irritating itch.
And it sounded quite ridiculous, in his own honest opinion.
Had something been missing from his life all this time?
In the fields bordering the grand white stone walls of the Edenian Palace, a lone woman that was dressed in a green corset, which drew immediate attention to her full breasts and toned stomach and black pants that deliciously hugged round hips and covered shapely legs, mimicked the swift, agile movements of the Earthrealm leopard as her body swayed elegantly in a intricate dance.
As she leapt just a few inches off of the ground, she executed a flawless spin kick; indulgent chocolate hair that reached to the the middle of her back flowing in the pleasant breeze as she stood on the toe of her boot while the other was raised parallel to her body before she began to sway her arms in a manner that copied the graceful, beating wings of the Earthrealm swan, and after a while, when she became tired of repeating the same motions, she took hold of the lightweight metal staff that she kept attached to her hip at all times and impaled one of her imaginary opponents in the stomach before she decapitated another with practiced ease.
If any of the Knights that were patrolling about in the courtyard were to witness the elegant display that the General of their squadron was performing, they could have watched her for hours on end.
Suddenly, a gentle squeeze was applied to the woman's shoulder, and as the lean muscle in her toned arms coiled like springs, much like a cat's, she assumed an aggressive fighting stance; ready to defend herself from her assailant.
After the person withdrew in surprise, as the woman looked into the syrupy brown eyes of her childhood friend, her expression softened, although the hairs upon the back of her neck bristled lightly in agitation.
"By the Gods, Kitana! Do not surprise me like that! I would have attacked you had I thought you were someone else!" she replied lightly as she pinched the bridge of her petite nose; mesmerizing emerald eyes hiding behind dark, thick eyelashes.
"My apologies, Jade. I did not mean to startle you," Princess Kitana softly replied in a apologetic manner. "I just came to check on you."
"I appreciate your concern, Princess," the woman, Jade, replied gently as a soft, albeit, tired smile graced full, carnation painted lips; her dusky caramel skin glowing gently in the warm sunlight. "And I apologize for yelling at you. I just do not like it when people approach me from behind."
After a few moments of silence had passed between the two longtime friends, as the verdant eyed woman comfortably rolled her shoulders, her Princess asked curiously "Do you bring no word of Tanya's whereabouts?"
Upon hearing the name of the woman who was labeled a traitor to their homeland several centuries ago, Jade suddenly replied in such a calm, chilling voice that Kitana could not help but to lightly shiver "No, I am afraid not, milady. She has still evaded capture. But, worry not. My squadron and I are working around the sundial to locate and apprehend her even as we speak."
Even though her friend's body language suggested that she was calm, the true emotion that lied within the deep green of her eyes told Kitana how she was really feeling.
Rage. She was internally seething with anger.
Bloodlust. She wished to shed as much of this woman's blood as possible and watch in heartless satisfaction as she writhed in agony before her.
Frustration. Despite the fact that able-bodied soldiers have already been deployed to the nearby villages to alert the villagers to remain on the lookout for the traitorous woman, she felt annoyed that she wasn't protecting Edenia to the best of her ability.
At times, it really hurt Kitana to see her best friend harbor such negative emotions. But, she also knew that speaking words of assurance would only sound like false truths in her ears, and she sincerely felt that she wasn't being a good friend because of that fact.
And then, her thoughts momentarily shifted towards her deceased half-sister, Mileena, who had been given unholy life through black magic when a strand of her long ebony hair and the blood of a Tarkatan barbarian were combined at the request of the long since dead emperor of the dark realm of Outworld, Shao Kahn.
For a time, the ignorant common folk had believed her to be her "long lost" sister.
And while she was regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the realm when she lowered her veil only on special occasions, she knew the reason as to why Mileena would vehemently refuse to lower her own veil, even when directly ordered by her father to do so.
Hidden behind a deceptive violet cloak, was a deformed mouth filled with sharp, jagged and uneven fangs.
It was then, from that day forward, that jealousy consumed her entire being as she cursed her very existence.
Why did she have to be born with such horrific looking teeth that could easily render the skin off of a person's bones instead of flawless porcelain skin like the woman that she had been modeled after?
And after the numerous attempts to end her "sister's" life all ended in failure, she had come to face the end of her own life, when the mysterious woman in blue, with soft lips that were laced with poisonous lipstick, placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead; wild shrieks of agony passing through twisted lips as unimaginable pain coursed through her and her body swelled like a balloon before it exploded in a gruesome shower; blood, bone and limbs splattering against the cold, stone walls in a twisted display of art.
And to think, that in the moment until her untimely death, in the pit of her black heart, she knew that no matter what she did, she would never be acknowledged as the Emperor's true daughter.
A simple fact that killed her more-so than her "sister's" poisonous kiss would come to do.
Quite ironic, really.
In the end, all she could feel for her half-sister was pity, even after her death.
She did not ask to be born into such a miserable existence, after all.
"Well, it is almost lunchtime, so we should be making our way to the dining hall," Kitana softly replied as she tucked a long strand of onyx hair behind her ear. "Mother will probably be wondering what we are doing if we are late."
"Yes. Of course," Jade muttered softly, as if she were momentarily distracted with something. "Lead the way, Princess."
As the two friends began to head back, as Jade began to reminisce about her own mother, and from what little she still remembered of her, she wondered if she would have been proud with her station in life were she still breathing.
TMoSD: *laughing maniacally as she gives the middle finger to the TV after beating one of the bosses in Cuphead* Yeah! Kiss my ass, Dr. Kahl's Robot!
Kung Lao: Amber, may I have a word with you for a moment?
TMoSD: The hell did you just call me?
Kung Lao: That is your name, isn't it?
TMoSD: *smacks him upside the head* Idiot! Don't go revealing my real name out here on the internet! There are a lot of weird and sick people out there, you know?
Kung Lao: *rolls his eyes as he mutters an apology* My apologies. I did not know.
TMoSD: Right. So, what is suddenly so important, that you feel that you need to interrupt me in the middle of playing one the best indie titles in 2017 to talk to me about?
Kung Lao: It is about this contract that you had me sign against my will.
TMoSD: What are you talking about? I never made you sign a contract.
Kung Lao: *hands her the contract that has his signature signed at the bottom*
TMoSD: *puts on her reading glasses* Oh, yeah. This contract. I completely forgot about this.
Kung Lao: Yes, I noticed. Well, I was just reading over the fine print, and it clearly states that...
TMoSD: *starts laughing like the dude from the Flipagram Roast video on Youtube*
Kung Lao: What is so funny?
TMoSD: *wipes away the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes* My dude, have you been living under a rock? Who in the bloody hell reads the fine print of a contract in the realm of fan-fiction?
Kung Lao: *pouts*
TMoSD: *pats him on the head like a dog in fake sympathy* Alright, now that that act of compassion is over, go get me something to eat. I'm starving.
Kung Lao: With what money?
TMoSD: *whispers in his ear about talking to a certain green-garbed kunoichi about withholding a certain "activity" from him*
Kung Lao: *all of the color immediately drains from his face*
TMoSD: Yeah, that's what I thought. *hands him a $10 bill*
Kung Lao: *muttering under his breath as he returned from the authoress's favorite fast food restaurant with food* Elder Gods, strike me down now.
Cassie: Please review.
Jacqui: Or else, you'll hurt the Mistress of Shadow Dragon's feelings. : (