CHAPTER IX: AND SO IT BEGINS

Sub-Zero rubbed her tired eyes as she pushed away the book she was skimming. As she predicted, it didn't contain any information about the wyrmbender being used on a human. They had been at it for a while. It was already late afternoon, as she could tell from the light cascading through the window above her, and she and Kenshi had been combing through the archives since morning.

She twisted in her seat and spied Kenshi walking between shelves, tracing the titles on the books' spines using his finger. He looked over at her as he sensed her gaze, and gave her a tired smile.

"Find anything useful?" she asked him hopefully.

"Not really," the swordsman sighed. As he reached the end of the bookshelf, he shook his head and made his way towards her. He plopped on the seat beside hers and covered his eyes with one hand. She had noticed him repeating the gesture every time he was under direct sunlight.

"Are you all right?" Sub-Zero asked him worriedly as he visibly recoiled from her.

"Do you have to shout?" he said softly.

Sub-Zero furrowed her brow. "Shout? Kenshi," she lowered her voice as he kept on cringing. "I'm not shouting.

He peeked at her from behind his fingers. "I guess you aren't." he rubbed his eyes and reached for his blindfold.

There was a moment of silence before Sub-Zero spoke. "You drunk?" she asked bluntly.

Kenshi almost fell out of his seat in surprise. "What? Of course not! I was with you the whole time."

"So what is it then?"

"What's what?"

"Are you going to explain why I suddenly have to whisper in your presence?"

Kenshi stubbornly remained silent.

Well, two could play that game. Sub-Zero patiently waited for his explanation as he slowly drew the cloth over his eyes. Kenshi adjusted it various times, looking for a way to delay the confrontation.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Nope."

He sighed and dropped his hands to the side. "How do I explain this without seeming like an ungrateful swine?" he was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "I've already told you before that it's been difficult for me to get used to seeing again after years of being blind. I'd always thought that if my eyesight returned, all my other senses would become duller, that everything would balance out. When it didn't happen at once, I gave it some time. I realize now that it never is going to normalize." he hooked one hand under his chin and frowned. "While my eyesight is getting better, all my other senses are continually getting stronger as well. My hearing is bordering on supersonic. I've also started to sense aurae more easily. I've asked Ermac about it. He didn't know the cause, but he said something similar has been happening to him."

Sub-Zero frowned. There was also something wrong with Ermac?

"While he could access the memories of the souls in him, he said they were starting to whisper to him, filling his mind with so much knowledge, it was maddening. And he didn't know how to stop it."

"I thought he said he could control it?" The pit of dread in Sub-Zero's stomach grew. She couldn't use her powers, Liu Kang was turning into a sociopath, Kenshi was overwhelmed by his hypersenses and Ermace was being driven mad with the knowledge continuously being fed to him. There were too many of them for it to be a coincidence. How were all of these connected?

"That's what he thought as well. Unfortunately, despite the numerous mental blocks he places in his mind, they always seem to find a way in. Both of us also came with you hoping we could get answers from Kitana or Sindel, but neither of them knew anything about it."

Sub-Zero licked her dry lips, wondering if she should tell Kenshi about her and Liu Kang's problems. IN the end, she ended up speaking only about Liu.

Kenshi looked absolutely stricken as Sub-Zero relayed the story to him.

"But why? Why would he think that?" He muttered. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Glad I'm not the only one who finds his newfound viciousness strange," Sub-Zero leaned back in her seat. "But in light of recent events, I've developed a theory."

"In light of recent events…you think he's also being possessed?"

Sub-Zero thought back to their conversation. While he didn't seem like his usual self, Liu Kang didn't show any other telltale signs of possession.

"I'm not sure possess is the right term," she said. "More like somebody's been manipulating his mind and memories."

Kenshi hummed thoughtfully. "Whom have you told apart from me?"

"Taven. I thought about bringing it up to Kitana and Sindel, but I didn't want them to get distracted."

"Good call," Kenshi nodded in approval. "If it's all right with you, I'll tell Ermac. Maybe he can shed more light on this matter."

"All right." As of now, Sub-Zero saw no need to subdue the monk, but she would be extremely cautious around him.

"Lord Taven is approaching," Kenshi announced as he procured something from his pockets that Sub-Zero later realized were earplugs.

"Does that help?" Sub-Zero asked.

"I don't usually need them, since the superhearing comes and goes, but today seems to be a special day," he said sarcastically as he plugged his ears.

The door to the archives creaked open and Sub-Zero craned her head to check who it was. True to Kenshi's senses, it was Taven who entered, looking rather concerned.

"Taven," she greeted. "What happened?"

"Worry not, Grandmaster. No ill has befallen your apprentice," he scowled. "At the very least, nothing that has not already been discussed. I am merely here to inform you that he will be administered with the first dose of mind strengthening potion in a few moments."

Sub-Zero stood up at once at the mention of the potion. "I want to be there." There was absolutely no way she was going to miss it. Apart from that, she wanted Ryu to feel that he wasn't alone in this, that she was doing everything she could for him.

"Let's go there, then," Kenshi rose from his seat as well.

The trio exited the archives and made their way to Ryu's room.

"About Liu Kang," Taven said. "I encountered him this morning, but he seemed to be acting quite normally. Perhaps he has grievances with you that you are not aware of?"

"I don't know," Sub-Zero shook her head. "Could something have happened to him when he and Scorpion were in Earthrealm?" To her, it was the only logical conclusion. Something must have happened to them when they were there. Before their excursion, Liu Kang was still Liu Kang.

"There's only one person who can answer that for you," Kenshi said. "Have you told him about Hanzo's predicament?"

"If he stopped hiding from me, then maybe I could have," she grumbled.

"He still won't talk to you?"

Sub-Zero shook her head.

"If I ever see him, I'll send him your way," Kenshi grinned at her cheekily.

"Ahhh, blind jokes, they never get old," she drawled. "Except unless of course, the person gets his sight back."

"I forget sometimes," Kenshi laughed, but quickly sobered as they reached Ryu's room. The swordsman opened the door and the three stepped inside.

"Hey, Grandmaster," Ryu said as they entered. The boy was seated on his bed, but his hands were tied behind his back, and his feet were strapped to the bed.

It pained Sub-Zero to see the boy in such a state. It would have been stupid to ask him how he was or if he was all right.

"Nervous?" she asked instead as she settled on a chair by his bed.

Ryu shrugged, or at least tried to; his restraints prevented him from moving around much.

"I'm just drinking a potion, no biggie," he said in an attempt at nonchalance, but he was taking a lot of calming breaths. Ermac had probably been very thorough when he discussed the side effects of the whole ordeal.

Sub-Zero leaned forward and said in a low voice. "Are you afraid?"

"W-What? Of course not," Ryu scoffed, trying to hide how his voice shook. Sub-Zero looked down briefly before drawing closer and hugging the boy. When she pulled back, he had a look of absolute surprise on his face. Perhaps Sub-Zero should have been more affectionate towards him; the ridiculous little crush he had had on her made her somewhat hesitant to even show the slightest bit of affection towards him. 'They had time', she'd said…well where was their time now?

"Well, I am," she admitted and ducked her head as her apprentice met her eyes with a look of shock. "After Frost, I never actually thought I would ever take in another apprentice." She met his gaze. "I had many fears. I feared that maybe the next one would be just like her, or that I wouldn't be a good enough Master, or that I would get—" her voice caught and she tried to mask in by clearing her throat. "I've always been afraid that I would get him killed."

Ryu's eyes softened at her words. "Grandmaster…"

She smiled wanly at the boy. "I am afraid of what this ordeal will do to you, what it will do to both of us. Ermac has probably already gone through the details of this ritual's side effects, so you already know what's at stake." She gripped his arm and pulled him into a fierce embrace. "Whatever happens, just promise me one thing."

"What?" his voice was thick with tears.

She drew back and gazed at him. "Promise me you'll fight until the end. Promise me you won't just give in because it's easier. Promise me you'll survive."

Ryu looked back at her with determination. "I promise I'll fight,"

"If you start to remember anything, and I mean anything about whoever gave you that necklace, tell me at once."

Ryu looked away for a brief moment before nodding. "Of course."

With a sharp nod, Sub-Zero stood up and motioned for Ermac and Kenshi to begin administering the potion. It had been agreed upon that Kenshi would be channeling some of his power into Ryu, helping him sort out his memories while Ermac helped him drink the potion.

As soon as Ryu swallowed the potion, his eyes immediately rolled back and he promptly fainted.

"It's normal, don't worry," Ermac quickly reassured her as she started to glare daggers at him.

"His mind was assaulted with a lot of memories he probably only had the vaguest recollection of," Kenshi said from where he was seated on Ryu's bed. The boy's head was on his lap, and he was massaging the boy's temples.

"He likely won't be awake until tomorrow, when his mind has adjusted to the potion," Ermac said.

Sub-Zero looked at her apprentice in worry. Immediately after waking up, they would be giving him the second dose, and on that same day, the third.

"Nothing much to do but leave him to sleep," Kenshi spoke as he slid from the bed.

"I shall stay and watch him," Taven spoke, startling Sub-Zero. She had forgotten he was even in the room.

"Don't worry about it, Taven," she shook her head. "He's my responsibility—"

"And confining yourself within the four corners of this chamber will only serve to heighten your anxiety," the god said authoritatively. "Now, you and your young swordsman friend ("Young?" Kenshi asked in amusement) will go outside and immerse yourselves in the festivities."

Sub-Zero stared at Taven for a moment before cracking a smile. "Was that an order?"

"Ha! It most definitely was," he grinned back.

"All right," Sub-Zero laughed tiredly. "You win this round. Come on, Kenshi." As they were leaving, she paused by the doorframe and looked back at Taven seriously. "If he so much as blinks, please come and get me."

"Seriously?" Ermac asked in surprise.

Sub-Zero gazed at the red-clad man a moment longer to let him know she was, in fact, incredibly serious.

Taven nodded soberly. "Of course,"

Then, with a sharp nod, both she and Kenshi swept out of the room and went to join the celebrations.

If they thought Edenia was amazing the morning they arrived, it was even more breathtaking that evening. The locals had slung wires and ropes between tents, and hung colorful lanterns made of paper, painted bottles and, occasionally, fruit. There was a group of bards and performers playing an upbeat song on the makeshift stage, creating a lively atmosphere in the area.

Instead of moping around, as how Kenshi described her current disposition, Sub-Zero tried to enjoy herself. Ryu's wellbeing was still at the forefront of her mind, but she'd managed to push it back enough to appreciate the festival.

All around them, Edenians were selling all manners of things that amused both her and Kenshi: a potion that guaranteed you would never again be attacked by wild beasts at night (did that mean they could be attacked in the morning?), a poor imitation of Shao Kahn's helmet (since when did Shao Kahn's helmet have tusks?), and their favorite, a particularly ugly carpet supposedly made out of Princess Kitana's hair.

"I wonder what Kitana said about that," Sub-Zero grinned as they weaved through the stalls.

"If I were her, I would have been insulted. I mean, did you see the quality they used for that carpet? And then they dared to compare it to her hair? The nerve!"

The two shared a laugh that was cut short as they heard a familiar angry growl coming from the inside of the tent they had just passed. The two shared a look and when they backtracked to the tent, a figure emerged, breathing heavily and looking as if he wanted to kill something.

Sub-Zero stood there, stunned and Scorpion looked equally taken aback at her presence. But his surprise was mixed with something else: relief.

"Scorpion?" she asked tentatively. The man snapped out of his reverie and scowled at her, before storming away and disappearing into the crowd.

"What happened to him?" Kenshi asked.

"Welcome," an ancient voice said from behind them. As they whirled around, they found an old woman, leaning on her cane and peering up at them. "Well, don't just stand there, come in." she added when the two of them continued to stare at her. The woman turned and shuffled into her tent.

After sharing a look with much eyebrow-raising, Kenshi and Sub-Zero followed suit.

Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of incense, and the smoke rising from the lit sticks threw Kenshi into a coughing fit. The old woman had settled onto a plush chair behind a small round table where a bunch of cards were strewn across. She gathered all of them into her hands and shuffled them.

"I think she's a fortune teller," Kenshi rasped, he obviously had a difficult time breathing.

"You think?" Sub-Zero replied sarcastically. Although she often encountered magic in her life, Sub-Zero thought people who could tell the future were mostly cons. Shujinko was the only one she had encountered that had actual premonitions, but even his were vague at best. The gods had visions too, but that was an altogether different story. Telling the future of a certain person was not possible, or so she had convinced herself.

"Have a seat," the old woman gestured to the chair across her.

"The scent is too much for my nose," he hissed to her. "I'll wait for you outside." And before she could say anything, he had already exited the tent.

"Have a seat," she repeated as Sub-Zero continued to stand in silence.

Sub-Zero mentally sighed. I'm already here, I may as well go with it, she thought as she took the proffered seat.

The old woman continued to shuffle while eyeing her curiously.

"You are not Edenian?"

"No, I'm a visitor."

"Ahhh, I see," she said. "Have you ever been read?"

"I'm sorry?" Sub-Zero asked in confusion. "Read?"

"Read. Has your life, your future—have you been read?"

"No?" she answered cautiously.

"Ahhh, first time. Always the hardest," the old woman remarked. She bent down and retrieved what seemed to be a crystal ball.

How cliché.

The woman wiped it clean of dust and set it on the table. She took the shuffled cards and spread them across the table in front of the crystal ball.

"It is simple, you get three cards that call to you, and I read them for you," she said.

Sub-Zero tried her best not to look too skeptical, but the woman took one look at her expression and let out a raspy laugh.

"Non-believers usually have the hardest time," she commented. "Just run your hand on top of the cards, and you will know when they call to you."

"Of course," Sub-Zero said, blocking out as much sarcasm she could from her tone. She extended a hand and ran her hand quickly on top of the cards.

The old woman shook her head. "Again, but slower."

Sub-Zero grumbled in her mind and repeated the gesture, but much more slowly. To her surprise, as she passed her hand over the cards, she felt something touch her palms. She felt the sensation two more times. As she reached the end of the deck, she looked at her palms; three cards were now stuck to it.

The old woman reached over, took the cards from her hand and placed them one by one on the table.

"Oh, oh my," she commented as she placed the first one. To Sub-Zero's confusion, there was absolutely nothing written or drawn on the card; it was plain black. The other two cards were the same, and Sub-Zero stared at the old woman impatiently.

"May we proceed?" she asked, when the woman wouldn't stop muttering to herself.

"Yes, yes of course," the old woman grabbed the first card and flipped it once, then twice, and the blank slate turned into a painting of a young boy training in the snow.

"Your past," she pointed to the card. "A young boy, eager to learn, eager to join, but disillusioned rather quickly. There is much suffering; no mother, distant father."

Sub-Zero almost rolled her eyes at the typical motherhood statements from the woman. This was the past of some generic warrior. That was until she went into details, then Sub-Zero's blood turned to ice.

"You were the son of snow, trained to be one of the finest assassins in your clan. Tundra, you were called, because of your abilities to wield ice. You had a difficult relationship with your brother, who was killed by a man he had killed once," she gave Sub-Zero a searching look. "Am I correct so far?"

Sub-Zero sat in silence, unable to say anything. How had she known that?

The old woman took her silence as a gesture to continue. She flipped the next card twice, and it revealed a silhouette of a woman, with red crystals (or was that ice?) creeping out from her heart onto her limbs.

"The present," she said. "You hold the life of someone important to you, in your hands. Every decision you make continues to affect his life. But while it is your main concern, there are other pressing problems. There is a sickness in your body you cannot understand, and everyone around you seems to be experiencing similar symptoms. Your brother has reentered your life, and you cannot reconcile his past with his present self. His killer is important to you, but you constantly wonder if you are important to him as well. There are many things plaguing your life today. If you are not able to get to the root of the problem, it will continue to spread, like a disease."

By now, Sub-Zero's face had probably turned white as sheet. It was not possible, how could she have known all these things? The life of someone important to her possibly meant Ryu? The sickness in her body…did that pertain to her inability to use her powers at some instances?

"The future," the old woman continued in her ominous voice. As she flipped the card, Sub-Zero was surprised to see that it did not change.

"What does that mean?" Sub-Zero asked as the woman stared at the card, wide-eyed.

"Nothingness," she replied hesitantly. "Depending on the decisions you make, if the disease is not cured, everything as you know it will spiral into nothingness."

Sub-Zero inhaled sharply at this news. She tried to convince herself that this old woman was a fluke. However, unlike any other fortune teller, she was strangely straightforward and certainly not vague with her information.

The old woman collected all the cards, gave them to Sub-Zero and gestured for her to raise it to her eye level.

"A glimpse," she spoke, and immediately Sub-Zero saw flames erupt at either side of her. She tried to move away, but she couldn't. The world was burning around her, and somewhere nearby, something roared. It was terrifying in its strength and enormity, as if that roar was a harbinger of the utter destruction that would soon follow. She could see a woman—was that her?—running into the fire. Scorpion was standing there looking at the running woman with his brow furrowed in confusion. Her doppelganger took a look back and gave Scorpion a sad smile before disappearing into the flames.

It ended so abruptly that Sub-Zero dropped the cards she was holding and stood up, trying hard to control her breathing. The old woman peered up at her with sadness and pity.

"Who are you?" Sub-Zero asked the woman. She was angry—angry that this woman presumed to know everything about her, angry that the old coot had shown her something that chilled her to her very bone, angry that she had allowed herself to be "read" in the first place.

"I am no one, my child," she said sadly. "Just someone born with this curse." The old woman turned away from her. "I am weary; please see yourself out."

Sub-Zero stared at the woman for a long time before turning and storming out of the tent. She was probably halfway back to the castle when someone grabbed her arm. Acting on pure instinct, she lashed out; thankfully, Kenshi had expected this and dodged the ice she sent his way.

"Kenshi!" she exclaimed. "Forgive me, I didn't notice it was you."

"I realized that," he said. "What happened? Did she do anything to you?"

Sub-Zero remained silent. The woman had said and shown her many things that disturbed her. "It's not something I would like to talk about right now." She said instead.

Kenshi looked at her in worry before dropping the topic. "Then let's get you to your room so you can go sleep."

The walk back to her room was spent in silence. Kenshi was wise enough not to pry when Sub-Zero was obviously upset, and Sub-Zero needed time to think about the things she had seen.

"Are you going to be all right?" Kenshi asked as soon as they reached the door to her room.

Sub-Zero gave Kenshi a nod. "Of course. Good night, Kenshi."

"Good night," the swordsman replied, and Sub-Zero opened the door to her room and entered. As she closed the door, she sighed heavily and leaned her forehead on the door. She tensed when she sensed a person coming up behind her, and didn't relax when she realized that that person was Scorpion.

His footsteps stopped right behind her and she could feel his breath on the nape of her neck. Still, she didn't want to turn around and face him. He however, did something that utterly surprised her.

He was hesitant, but he placed his hands on her waist and slowly slid them across her stomach to pull her into a tentative hug. They remained in that position for some time, until Sub-Zero decided it was time to face him.

The room was dark, and Sub-Zero could only make out Scorpion's face in the moonlight. He looked tired, determined and worried. All traces of anger and bitterness were absent from his face, and Sub-Zero was anxious that telling him about Ryu would bring them all back.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Sub-Zero said.

Scorpion shifted uncomfortably. "I needed time to think," he said instead of answering her statement.

"About Bi-Han?"

Immediately, Scorpion stiffened and Sub-Zero felt guilty for mentioning her brother's name. Scorpion took a deep breath. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "When I learned he was there…" he trailed off.

"Scorpion, I know you wanted him dead. Why did you spare his life?" She needed to know. It was the one thing that didn't add up.

Scorpion looked away, anger unsurprisingly reflecting in his eyes. "I've always wanted him dead. I hate him. I despise him to my very core. In fact, the only other person I want to kill more than him would be Quan Chi. But," his tone softened as he looked at her. "I had previously spoken with Raiden, about my redemption and path to light, about turning away from the specter I once was.

"I also remembered how much he meant to you," he said, and scowled in embarrassment. "And no matter how much I hated him, no matter how much I wanted to kill him, I would never feel happy knowing that I would have caused you that kind of pain."

Sub-Zero's eyes were watery by the end of his explanation and discreetly wiped it with her hand. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

"Well, I didn't do it all for you," he grumbled. "If you had been listening, you'd have heard it was for my redemption."

Sub-Zero smiled at Scorpion's embarrassment. "I'd never dream of thinking you did it all for me. Why, the audacity…"

"You're making fun of me," Scorpion growled.

"I'd never," she replied cheekily, but immediately sobered as she remembered what she needed to talk to him about. "There's something I need to tell you."

Scorpion narrowed his eyes at the solemnity of her tone. "This is about Ryu?"

So he already knew something was going on. "How'd you know?"

"I am not an idiot. When you decided to up and leave for Edenia earlier than planned, towing that blind fool and glowing green menace, I already knew something was wrong."

"I…" she faltered. "I don't know how to explain this."

"I know that he needs to undergo some kind of ritual," at Sub-Zero's surprised look, he added, "I may have…overheard Sindel and Taven speaking about it."

"You spied on them?" she asked incredulously.

"I was not spying!" he answered defensively. "I was just…curious. Why does he need to undergo a ritual and why was I not informed of it?"

"Well maybe I could have told you if you didn't disappear every time I needed to talk to you!"

"Whatever," he muttered angrily, unable to think of a comeback.

Sub-Zero took a deep breath to reign in her anger. "Do you want to know or not?"

He replied with a glare then, when Sub-Zero continued to give him a severe look, nodded tightly.

And so Sub-Zero told him everything, from the first moment she noticed that something was wrong with Ryu, and being attacked by the boy, to consulting with Ermac and Kenshi, and deciding on proceeding with the ritual.

"So this ritual will kill him?" Scorpion asked in barely concealed rage.

"It was the only option—"

"And you decided to go through this why?"

"If I had any other choice, I would have gone with it. As it is, it's his only chance." She replied hotly, pushing Scorpion away from her. "Or would you have preferred to just let him be a puppet forever?" Did he think she didn't analyze the situation?

"I should have been included in this decision! I'm his brother!"

"A brother who has been absent for more than half his life!"

"That was never my choice!" Scorpion roared. His face was inches from her face and she could see his features contorted with rage. "In case you have forgotten, I was dead! And whose fault was that? Your brother's! Whose life I spared a few days ago!"

Scorpion turned away from her and punched the wall.

Sub-Zero took a deep breath to calm herself. "I apologize," she said after a while. "I was out of line."

"Damn right, you were," he muttered angrily. He was looking down and fiddling with his gauntlets. He was clearly agitated; after all, his brother could die. If Sub-Zero thought it hurt her to think about losing her apprentice, she could just imagine how much worse Scorpion felt.

All the anger and self-righteousness seeped out of Sub-Zero, leaving her tired and defeated. She took a step forward, and like Scorpion a few moments ago, she wrapped her arms around him.

It was a while before Scorpion relaxed into the hug.

"I want to be there," he spoke after some time. "I want to be there during the ritual."

"They've already started with the potions. They're giving him the final doses tomorrow. The ritual starts as soon as he wakes up again."

Scorpion turned around slowly. He looped one arm around her and used his other hand to brush Sub-Zero's hair out of her eyes. The look in his eyes softened as they continued to gaze at each other. Scorpion then leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"I am sorry," he said quietly.

"What?" she asked in surprise. Scorpion? Apologizing?

"You heard what I said and I am not repeating it," he replied grumpily. "You look really tired."

"A lot of things have been going on lately," she admitted.

They were silent for a few more moments before Scorpion broke the hug. "I am tired as well," heart-to-heart conversations were difficult for him, Sub-Zero knew that. But he had already looked weary before that. Could he have seen what she saw in that old woman's tent?

As they climbed into bed, Sub-Zero was drawn into Scorpion's arms once more, and held her tightly, as if he were afraid she'd disappear.

"Hanzo," she said.

"Hmmm?"

"What did you see in that old woman's tent?"

Scorpion tensed. "It doesn't matter; she was nothing but a fluke."

Sub-Zero was silent for a few moments before speaking. "The things she said and showed me," she said quietly. "I've never been more afraid in my entire life."

Scorpion's arms tightened around her. "Don't be. You're safe here."

As Sub-Zero buried herself in her lover's arms, she couldn't help but think that she was, indeed safe. But the question was, for how long?

A/N: Ohai gaiz, I'm finally back! We moved offices, and I've been really busy dealing with the 134894020981 things my bosses are tasking me with. I had a hard time writing the last bit with Scorpy and Subz, I think I lost my affinity for fluff *sad face*

As usual, like it or not, please leave a review!