Hello again.

Another rather rough chapter because I've had the worse case of writer's block known to man. But, I did have some help getting the ideas rolling, in which I should probably give a shout out to that person because they helped the ideas begin rolling again.

THANK YOU, SaphiraRyuuka, for all your help! Oh, and you may not read all what we talked about with this chapter, but I'm heading towards that. I'm trying to take it a bit slow.

Anyway, if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes or typos, I apologize.

Please review or PM me! I'd like to know what I should improve on, or how I'm doing.

Enjoy.


I sat in the grass cross-legged, staring at a strange flower. I had begun to think about the night before, and Scorpion. And the burn, which hadn't healed. I usually healed quickly, but this wasn't the case. It was still painful, red and angry. Why did he burn me? How had I seen him human? My thoughts were interrupted by the flower going up in flames. I turned to see Scorpion, in which I falsely smiled at him and stood. He immediately grabbed my burnt arm roughly, and examined the hand-shaped burn.

"You've already labeled me as yours, eh?" I said sarcastically. He glared at me and roughly let go of my arm, shoving me back somewhat. Was there nothing he could gently do? The memory of me touching his face returned to me. Had I done that? Had he liked it? Dazed, my hand reached to touch his mask, in which he avoided contact.

"Don't. Touch. Me." He growled. I was taken aback by his words, with that evil tone. I looked into his hazy eyes, and felt a pain in me that hurt so much I instantly looked away. What was that? That wasn't his usual anger and torment, but more hate. But not towards me, rather, towards himself. I had known it too well. Scorpion grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me close to him violently.

"Tell me who killed them, Pestilence." He radiated heat. Unbearable heat. I looked up into his cloudy eyes, and spoke the name I shouldn't have spoken, but Scorpion wanted to know.

He needed to.

"Quan Chi. You're his puppet." In an instant, Scorpion disappeared into flames.


Scorpion was in the Netherrealm. He didn't particularly like it here, but this was his new home, where he drew his power. The screams of the tormented echoed off the hot stone. Scorpion clenched his fists with anger. If it wasn't for Quan Chi, maybe he wouldn't be in this place of torment. Maybe him and his family would live on, and his clan still existing. His fists caught fire as he neared the place Quan Chi usually resided.

"Quan Chi!" Scorpion roared. The sorcerer appeared before him.

"Ah, Scorpion. I see you've returned from your visit with the female manipulator." He was cool, calm. A smirk on his white face. This angered Scorpion further.

"If you know that, then you should know why I'm here." Scorpion got closer, glaring into the eyes of his family's murderer, his murderer. The murderer of the people he swore to protect with his life.

"Yes. And I will assure you, she will be dealt with, once I get rid of you. Again." The sorcerer smirked, chuckling darkly as he got into a fighting stance. Instead of doing the same, Scorpion rushed the sorcerer, grabbing him by the shoulders, and disappearing in a gulf of flame, reappearing among the rumble of the Shirai Ryu village.

"They will witness as I avenged their deaths. VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!" Scorpion roared as he unsheathed both swords.


I was met with a wounded Scorpion once I entered my room. He covered his abdomen with one arm, and the other hung limp. I went over to him, grabbed his wrist, trying to examine the wound on his abdomen. Instead he pulled away from me, scowling.

"I do not...need your aid, Pest." He said through clenched teeth.

"Why are you here, then?" I snapped. He glared at me, and grunted, looking away. I tried again, just to get another glare. I huffed in annoyance, grabbing him by the belt and leading him to a chair in which I received threatening words before pushing him down into the chair. He glared up at me once more. He was wishing I was dead a hundred times over. I smirked at him and grabbed the limp arm. He cried out, obviously wishing he hadn't afterwards when he saw the look of satisfaction on my face. He was humiliated. Though his face did not show it, I felt it in him. And he could feel the amusement in the air, and hated it.

"I am not one to be trifled with, girl!" He roared. I chuckled, sitting in a chair near him.

"You should respect your elders, boy." I said with a smirk. "I thought that was one thing the Japanese were strict about. Respecting elders."

"I do not give respect when I do not receive it, Pestilence." Scorpion growled. My eyes narrowed as new anger filled me.

"Oh, I respect you, Undead. I respect you enough that I told you about Quan Chi, who I now assume is dead by your hand?" Scorpion nodded slightly, still glaring. "Well then, that's done. Now do whatever you need to do to heal, and stop making a mess." I motioned to the blood soaked clothing he wore, now so heavy with blood they began dripping. Then another thought hit me. It was a rather ridiculous question, but I didn't care.

"When you take your clothes off, are you like a normal male? Or does that disappear too like your face?"

"Stop talking."

"It's an innocent and legitimate question."

"SHUT UP!"


I woke and found Scorpion sitting in the middle of the floor, eyes closed, legs crossed, hands on his knees. I silently got out of bed, and walked over to Scorpion, sitting across from him in the same way he did. His wounds were healed. Suddenly, he gasped and his eyes flew open. I jumped back and, out of instinct, brought my forearms up to cover my face. I waited for a blow which never came, then I peeked out from behind my shield, to see that Scorpion had vanished, and blackened floor boards were left behind. Well, at least he wouldn't be a distraction. The tournament began today.

I made my way through the crowd, trailing behind Raiden, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade. We reached the clearing, and I could already smell the blood as if the arena was filled with it.


Scorpion was hidden well, observing the tournament from above. He spotted the Pestilence, and began to feel worried for her. He shook his head. Worried? For that Pest? He then noticed she had looked up, and he stayed completely still, hoping she hadn't seen him. The fact she hadn't was confirmed when she made so small of an action, that Scorpion wouldn't have noticed unless he was really looking at her. She looked around a bit, and then with her right hand, grabbed at the flesh of her left arm. The Pest was looking for him. And she too, was worried. But then she straightened with her arms at her sides, obviously feeling the way he did about worrying.

The tournament began, and with a sly grin, Shang Tsung called out a name unfamiliar to Scorpion.

"Neriah! You will be the first contestant." At first, nobody stepped forward, then the Pestilence stepped within the arena.

"I prefer Pestilence." She called out in an angry tone, but she was ignored. As if on cue, Scorpion began to feel oppressed, and the crowds below began to quiet down.

"Scorpion!" Shang Tsung called his name, and Scorpion didn't move for a moment, then he teleported to the arena.

I knew something must have been up when my name was called first, and not Johnny Cage's, but it was only confirmed when Scorpion was called as well. Someone knew we had been speaking. Scorpion had a blank stare, despite my help for him to finally find peace. I actually cared about the stubborn zombie! I wanted to help him. All of it, down the drain. Was what I did not enough? I had put us BOTH in danger. Now he was going to try and kill me. I let my gloom reach the ones around me, and Scorpion faltered a bit. I smirked. If he was going to kill me I was going down fighting.


Scorpion had no desire to kill, or even fight the Pestilence. But how else would he prove he was still the mighty Scorpion? He felt his shoulders get heavier as the Pestilence glared at him. He would not kill her. Fight her, yes. But just to prove the one responsible for this match wrong. He was still Scorpion!

"Fight!" Shang Tsung called, and Scorpion started the opposite direction, disappearing and reappearing behind the Pestilence, shoving her hard in the chest. She stumbled back, growling, and began throwing punches. All of which hit. She was faster than Scorpion thought. He wa stunned a bit, and she took her opportunity to grab his neck, pulling him to her face, and glaring into his eyes. The gray of her eyes swirled, mesmerizing Scorpion.


I showed him the feeling of worthlessness and regret. I showed him hate so fierce it tore at one's soul. I amplified the torment he felt to smother him. Once I was sure he was well drained of will, I let go, noticing how weak I had also become. Scorpion stepped back away from me, shaking his head, then he roared and caught fire, something I didn't expect. Pulling off his mask, he roared once more and fire poured from him, engulfing me in flames. The pain was unbearable, and I could see my flesh melt away.


Her screams of intense pain echoed within the walls of Scorpion's skull. He hadn't realized what he had done until it was over, and he immediately, without thinking, pulled the mask back on and rushed to the Pestilence's side.

"Finish her!" Scorpion looked up to see a grinning Shang Tsung. No, it wouldn't be for him, but to put her out of her misery. Scorpion drew his blade, and put the tip to the Pestilence's neck as she laid on the ground whimpering. He did not desire this! But, why not? She had helped him. Maybe that's why he didn't desire her bloodshed. Scorpion pressed the tip further, receiving a thin line of blood. No, he would not allow any one the satisfaction! Scorpion sheathed his sword, and picked the girl up in his arms, growling as flames engulfed him and he appeared in the Pestilence's bedroom, and laid her on the bed. She was unconscious, but breathing. Scorpion wasn't sure what to do. How bad were her burns? Scorpion tore off what clothes were left on her, leaving her in nothing but a sports bra and panties. Scorpion grunted. There was no place on her saved. Scorpion closed his eyes and sighed. What had he done? He opened his eyes at a soft moan. Without thinking he leaned over her as her eyes opened, making her once again go unconscious.


I opened my eyes in to see that I was in an open field. Brightly colored wild flowers dotted the landscape, and I felt at ease. I looked around to see if I could spot Scorpion, because from what I could tell, this was the same place I woke in when I met a more human part of him, except for the fact there was no snow this time. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned and met an unmasked Scorpion once again.

"How do you do this?" I asked, looking around again.

"It's like a dream. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but it allows the human part of me, that never really went away, to speak with you." He sounded rather pleasant. I chuckled a bit.

"Why can't you be more like this in reality?" I asked, and truly smiled up at him. His mouth twitched up a bit and there was amusement in his eyes, but he stayed silent. I reached up and touched his face again, making him smile slightly.

"So this is what you looked like, before you died?" He simply nodded. I looked down, and another thought entered my mind.

"Why are we here? What happened?" At the question Scorpion shifted and frowned, but he did not speak. I got angry. "Scorpion, why am I here?" I saw his jaw muscles tighten.

"You're hurt." Was all he said. Was he trying to say I was dead? Or dying? Anger filled me to the brim, beginning to boil over, as the memory of going up in flames returned.

"What have you done? After I tried to help you, you burn me alive?!" I yelled at him, causing him to back up slightly.

"I did not desire to do what I did. Your manipulation blinded my already unstable form." He wasn't exactly angry, just stern. I sighed and covered my face with my hands.

"So when I wake up, I'll be burnt to a crisp and in a tremendous amount of pain?" I asked, my words muffled a bit by my hands. Scorpion's expression softened.

"I'm trying to keep you from having to experience that." Scorpion admitted. I growled in frustration, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Wake. Me. Up." I hissed. Scorpion grabbed my shoulder's and made me look up at him.

"I did this for you. Don't you understand? I did not kill you."

"Wake me up, Undead!" I shoved him, and the look he gave me was one of regret. Then I woke, looking into the white eyes of Scorpion.


He tried to help her, and all he received was regret he tried. She was an ungrateful Pest. He heard her moan, and backed away, crossing his arms over his chest. What he witnessed next is something he wasn't expecting. The burns on her began to heal at a fast rate, and before long, she looked completely normal, except for the hand shaped burn on her left arm, which Scorpion had left the first time he'd spoken to her in a dream-like state. Why it didn't heal, he didn't know. The Pestilence rose from the bed, hands over her face. She was in a weakened state, that was evident, but she was alive. Scorpion was relieved, but angry at the fact he was. Why should he care? All she did was help him get revenge. Still, even so, she should be nothing to him. She was nothing to him. At least, that's what he told himself.