Alright, on with the next chapter. I already have the next one ready so there will be another update later today or ! And again thanks to everyone who is reading, reviewing or favoriting this story. It means a lot.
Chapter 11: Damages
The earth was shaking underneath their feet, the ground was freezing over and cracking again immediately as everyone tried to find cover from the ice that was now shooting through the air like shrapnel everywhere. Sub-Zero stared in horror as the rocket of ice she had released came rushing towards him. He instinctively jumped in the air and leapt forward, out of its way.
"Move!" He screamed as he landed back on his feet, turning around, gesturing for his men to get to safety. And then the world seemed to be disappearing around him. He only had eyes for her. Her body beaten, blood dripping from her mouth, the bandage on her right hand ripped and soaked with blood and water, she stood there, breathing heavily, her irises still black, raging, yet crying tears of desperation.
"What have I done…" He whispered, waiting for the wave of destruction to crash upon him. But it never came. Instead, the world came rushing back to him within a quarter of a second. Thunder and lightning shaking him out of his thoughts as the sky turned black.
"Enough!" The Thunder God's voice echoed through the cold air. And as lightning hit her, her arms immediately unfroze, the blue color returned to her eyes and her gaze was fixed on him as she collapsed on to the ground. Normally, he would make sure that his men were ok, that everyone was fine. He would recognize the Thunder God's presence and bow to him. He would try to explain and make sense of what had just happened. But for once, Sub-Zero did not care about any of that. Instead, he ran over to her, knelt down beside her and placed her in his arms, brushing a streak of her auburn hair out of her face, wiping away her tears. He knew that he was responsible for this. He had pushed her too far. He should have known better. He should have listened to Scorpion because he had been right from the beginning. He was very much attached to her as was she to him. And she would maybe never be able to control her emotions. And now it dawned on him that neither could he. Not when it came to her. He had been too harsh because he had wanted to prove to himself that he could still be the Grandmaster, the Lin Kuei warrior whose life consisted of discipline, fighting and war. That his personal feelings would not get in his way. It was true, he had let himself have a moment of weakness the other night but he could not be weak. Not him. And because he had wanted to prove to himself that he was not weak, he had caused all this damage.
"I am sorry…", he mumbled, "I'm so sorry. Please, wake up!" He said, holding her close. Raiden could not remember having seen the cryomancer panicking before. Ever. There was a man who had fought in wars, killed hundreds of people over the course of his life, who had participated in Mortal Kombat many times - the Grandmaster of the legendary Lin Kuei clan – kneeling on the ground, holding the unconscious body of a woman in his arms, panicking. It was a rather rare sight.
"Sub-Zero!" Raiden shouted, finally turning his attention to the mess right in front of him. The training area looked like a battle field. Trees had fallen, there was a he crack in the ground, statues were broken. Three men of the squad he had been training earlier were injured, not even counting the two that had been defeated by Jaime in combat. One of them was bleeding heavily as a piece of ice had pierced into his chest like a stake.
"Medics!" Smoke yelled when he saw that his friend was incapable of comprehending what was going on.
"What happened here?" Liu Kang asked as he came running from the main building. "There was some sort of earth quake and then I heard thunder. What is going on here?" He looked at Sonya and Johnny confused, pointing at Sub-Zero and Jaime.
"We'll fill you in later. We could use some help here right now." Johnny replied as he was helping one of the injured back on his feet. Meanwhile, Sub-Zero hastily checked her vitals and as he was convinced that she was still breathing, he carefully picked her up and got on his feet, carrying her in his arms as he walked towards Raiden.
"She's hurt." Sub-Zero said quietly, his head hanging low as he did not dare to look at the Thunder God.
"She will be taken care of. I will send word to Edenia. Princess Kitana's healers will certainly be able to nurse her back to health." Raiden said reassuringly. "But you and I need to talk, Lin Kuei."
"I will not leave her side." The cryomancer simply returned.
"What about your men? What about the damage that has been done here? You have responsibilities, Sub-Zero." Raiden reminded him with a touch of anger in his voice.
"And I am responsible for her. I need to be there when she wakes up." He hissed back angrily as he suddenly felt the air around him heat up.
"Maybe you do need to be there for your own sake. But I believe that you are not what she needs right now, Kuai. You need to stay away for a while." Scorpion suggested, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I am of her kind. I understand her powers better than any of you. I can't stay away."
"Can't or won't? You and I both know very well that her cryomancer heritage is not the reason why you want to be by her side. Your emotional bond with her is the reason for this mess in the first place. Being around you will only confuse her further. She needs rest. And she needs to learn how to control her anger and use it to her advantage. I may not be an ice wielder. But I do indeed know what it means to have powers that are fueled by anger and a thirst for revenge. I will train her until she understands." Sub-Zero knew that Scorpion was right. And yet he could not help but give him his most angry and desperate look. He looked at the unconscious female in his arms once more. He had sworn to protect her with his life, instead he had caused her so much pain. He had certainly underestimated the strength of her feelings for him. All he wanted to do was apologize and make things right. But he also knew that a simple apology would not be enough. Not after he pushed her this far. His words alone made her almost kill people. And she would have to live with this burden for the rest of her life. How would she ever be able to forgive him? Sub-Zero finally gave in, sighed and handed her body to Scorpion, who immediately teleported her to the infirmary.
"Are you sure?" Shao Khan inquired as the shadowy figure was kneeling before him.
"Yes, Emperor. She wielded the power of ice, just like my brother does and as I used to. But she was much stronger than us. The earth was shaking underneath my feet as she unleashed her powers. But she is weakened now. This may be the right time to attack." Noob confirmed nodding, his head lowered, not looking into Shao Khan's eyes.
"Very well, Noob Saibot. Take Reptile and Mileena with you and bring her here. She shall be our key to winning the tournament." The Emperor said, letting out a taunting laugh.
"It will not be so easy to take her. My brother is overly protective of her. He has someone guard her room at all times. And the ninja spectre is lurking around as well. Not to mention what this little girl could do to any of us if she gets too scared." Noob replied. His concerns were eligible. He was not afraid of her. Fear is an emotion he could no longer remember. But he knew that the girl's lack of self-control could cost him the success of the mission.
"You will have to gain her trust then. She trusts your brother, yes?" Shao Khan asked, shooting the wraith a nowing look.
"From what I could observe, she seems to be rather attached to him." He confirmed.
"Very well. You know what to do then."
"Yes, Emperor, as you wish." Noob replied, bowed to him, got up and turned to leave as Shao Khan was grinning self-contentedly. He did not know that Noob Saibot was doing the same, albeit for a very different reason.
"I will not ask you about the details of your relationship with her." Raiden said calmly as he appeared out of nowhere in the corner of Sub-Zero's office. "But I hope you know what damage your lack of self-control has done." Sub-Zero stared out of the window. He was physically present but his thoughts kept on wandering off to her.
"Of course I know. It won't happen again." Sub-Zero answered, his voice now calmer and sterner, almost robotic. "She is a student and a member of the Lin Kuei, nothing more. I will not let it get this far again, Lord Raiden." Sub-Zero meant what he said but at the same time, he had no idea how to do it. Even though he appeared to have regained his composure and acted like the responsible Grandmaster, he was still very confused on the inside.
"Do not try to fool me, Sub-Zero. I feel your conflict. You have feelings for this girl and feelings cannot be simply turned off." The Thunder God returned with a sly smile on his lips.
"I am a Lin Kuei. I was raised to turn off my emotions. I did so when my brother died. I did so when I was on the run from the Lin Kuei. I did so when I saw my clan die on the battlefield. I did so when I killed my own student. I can do it." The cryomancer returned, showing no emotion at all.
"Hmmm. Have you ever heard of the saying 'the greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return'?" Raiden asked him as he walked towards Sub-Zero. "The Lin Kuei, though loyal warriors, do not love you. They follow your orders. Your brother's soul was drenched in evil. You may have loved him but he would have sacrificed you in a heartbeat would it have served his own purpose. And Frost… She used you to grow more powerful in order to overthrow you. None of them truly cared about the person you are, let alone loved you. Jaime on the other hand… What a character, hmm?" The Thunder God mumbled, putting a hand on the cryomancer's shoulder. "I get it, you're confused. There's not much time for romance as the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei."
"Attachment is dangerous. That's why it is forbidden. You saw what happened, Thunder God." Sub-Zero returned.
"Yeah, yeah. But be honest, when she was with you, wasn't that the happiest you've ever been in your entire existence? Wasn't that the moment you realized what it really is that we are fighting for? Would this realm be worth saving if it wasn't for simple human emotions like love? The only reason why she was able to do all this damage is because she cares. You actually hurt her with what you said. Because she loves you back. Maybe you shouldn't have gotten so close to her in the first place. But it's kind of too late for that now, isnt it? Cutting her off now will only makes things worse. Think about it, cryomancer." And with that, Raiden disappeared with the sound of thunder and lightning, leaving Sub-Zero to his thoughts.