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The atmosphere of the temple was serene, helping Hanzo keep his composure from his position in the centre; he was in a mediation pose, one that invoked tranquillity to seek out the inner peace. He'd been here for hours and usually, he'd find that inner peace; it made his work in the Shirai Ryu easier to accept, but for some reason today, it was just out of reach. With a sigh of frustration, Hanzo dropped the pose as he opened his eyes – fire flickered before his vision for a split second and he blinked rapidly, unsure if he imagined it…or if it was a sign. Dismissing it as a hallucination, Hanzo groaned as he rose from his kneeling position and made his way out of the temple and into the Shirai Ryu Fire Gardens.
He breathed deeply, savouring the peacefulness that the Fire Gardens brought – it was his second favourite place in the Shirai Ryu to visit, a place that he and his fellow clansmen would come to in search of peace and enlightenment. But just like in the temple, Hanzo didn't feel fulfilled – something felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on what.
"Papa!"
A smile stretched across Hanzo's face and he turned towards the voice; his young son, Jubei, was running towards him, a joyous expression on his face; behind him, Kana followed, wearing a fond smile. Hanzo knelt and swept Jubei into his arms, embracing the boy with such fierce love – and yet, that missing piece in his soul was still present, even when surrounded by his family. He pushed that thought aside and focused on his wife as she joined the pair, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder – for a split second, Kitana appeared in Kana's place, but like the flames, Hanzo brushed it off as an imagination. He was whole, his family and clan were alive, as they should be, and he was happy – there was a sense of dread curling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't understand and so, he tried to quell it.
"Papa, I missed you," Jubei said.
"And I you, my boy," Hanzo smiled at the child. "I missed you the most."
"What, no love for your adoring wife?" Kana asked humorously and he gave her a fond look.
"My love for you burns forever, my butterfly."
"Ew," Jubei squirmed at the sight of adult affection, like all children. "Papa, can you show me how to use the rope spear? You said you would when you returned."
"I did?" Hanzo asked with mock confusion. "Well, since I did, I guess I should."
Jubei grinned and flames appeared in his eyes. Hanzo frowned, especially when the flames remained. His heart quickened at the sight and he looked to Kana for help – fire was literally burning in her eyes – his heart leapt into his throat.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, like she was oblivious to the fact that her eyes were burning in their sockets. "Hanzo, are you okay?"
"Yeah, Papa, are you okay?" Jubei parroted. "Why do you look scared?"
"Your eyes…" Hanzo stammered, fear preventing him from putting his son down and Kana stepped into his personal space, her face melting away to reveal a flaming skull. "No!"
"Don't be scared, my love," she said, her voice taking on a deeper, menacing tone. "After all, you killed me. You killed Jubei, our son. You killed us both."
"You did, Papa," Jubei accused, his face doing the same as his mother and Hanzo dropped him and recoiled, but they stayed in his personal space. "We came back, Papa, just like you wanted us to…and you killed us."
"I'm sorry," Hanzo wept, falling to his knees before them. "I didn't want to…I had to…to spare you the agony…"
"This is all your fault!" Kana snarled and the Fire Gardens went up in flames around them, just like when the Shirai Ryu first perished at the hands of Quan Chi. "You killed us, Hanzo, and you will suffer for what you've done!"
"Please, no," he begged. "No more. I'm sorry!"
"You can never be sorry for what you've done," Kana coldly spoke and she turned to ashes, only to be replaced by Kung Lao, blood dripping from the fatal wound in his chest.
"Look at what you've done, Scorpion. What makes you think you could ever be a good man?" the Shaolin demanded furiously. "You callously murdered me and that's all you will ever be…a murderer, no matter what you think."
"Please, stop," Hanzo begged desperately.
Kung Lao turned to ashes and in his place stood Quan Chi. "In the end, Scorpion, you will return to me, just like the obedient dog that you are. You can never escape me."
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The world slowly bled into existence as Kitana drifted into consciousness. She could hear faint chirping outside, but she groaned and tucked into her covers, trying to remain asleep for as long as she could. Subconsciously, her hand glided under the sheets – and paused when she felt nothing but her mattress. Immediately, Kitana opened her eyes, her foggy mind trying to focus as she reached across her bed, only to find that she was the lone occupant. Her heart leapt into her throat as she tried to swallow down her fear – this was what she was afraid of, that she would wake up too late to find him gone.
Hurling the covers aside, Kitana launched (staggered) from her bed; light peeked into her room via the opened balcony door and she paused, unsure of what she might find. She stepped out onto her balcony, relief washing over her when she found Hanzo sitting at the small table, simply watching the sunrise. Before he could even acknowledge her presence, she fell upon him in a fierce hug, calming her racing heart down and surprising him.
"Um, I'm sorry for that," Kitana apologised as she broke away from him; he might not want to be touched and she could've violated that just for her own peace of mind.
"No, it's fine," Hanzo reassured her. "I understand your distress, however; it did cross my mind after I woke up."
"I didn't even notice you leave," she said and she recognised the knives from last night were on the table; of course he would still feel in the depths of despair, but she was at least thankful that he hadn't committed it while she slept…the guilt and despair would greatly crush her; she could also take it as a sign that perhaps he was considering otherwise.
"I'm surprised…with the way that I woke up, I thought for sure you'd awaken too."
"Did something happen?"
Hanzo kept his eyes on the rising sun, as Kitana sat at the table; part of him wanted to hold back from opening up, a by-product of being a spectre for so long, but the human part that desperately desired an emotional connection wanted to spill – his fingers trembled as his nightmare sliced through his mind. She observed his trembling and wanted to reassure him, but after her abrupt hug, she felt she needed to refrain from touching him.
"I dreamt…of home," Hanzo spoke and his voice constricted, his heart racing. He took a few deep calming breathes, feeling the need to continue. "I dreamt of Kana and Jubei…they told me that I killed them…and they are not wrong; they came back and I destroyed them."
"How did they come back? How did your clan return?"
Fire burned in Hanzo's veins at the deception dealt to him. "I made a deal with the Elder Gods – if I killed Onaga, they would revive my clan…I did not expect to be treated like a joke and have my clan return as hell-spawn. I felt deceived and used…after what I did for them, they couldn't honour the bargain. That's why I had Shinnok's Amulet…I sought to destroy the Elder Gods and their allies for their deception."
Kitana pursed her lips and neutrally asked. "Was I among your targets?"
"No," Hanzo replied honestly. "There was no betrayal between us…you don't seem to adhere to the same reverence of the Elder Gods as the ones in Earthrealm."
"Yes, well, I suppose they do have their uses," Kitana said as she gazed at the rising sun, thinking of Shinnok and her deal with him to save Hanzo.
He tilted his head at her words. "Kitana…how did I come back to life?"
She sighed deeply. It was too early in the morning for deep confessions and she'd hoped to avoid telling him this for as long as she could, however here she was. "I made a deal…with Shinnok to save you…his solution was a concoction that restored you in order to 'quell your rage'."
Hanzo shook his head; he was not worth saving. "What was the price?"
She looked at her fingers, unwilling to face him despite feeling his intense gaze on her. "My soul; upon my death, I belong to him."
The former spectre shook his head despairingly. "Why would you do that? You traded your life for mine – you shouldn't have done that."
"If it'd been Liu Kang or Jade, my mother or even Sonya in your position, I would've done the same thing…it makes no difference. Raiden ignored us and so I made the decision," she said and he closed his eyes, no doubt to swim in the guilt of her deal. "Hanzo, don't beat yourself up; it was my decision to make and I willingly did it…I have no regrets."
"I do, because you'll be eternally bound to Shinnok, of all people, because of me, because of the way you chose to save me," Hanzo spoke, the guilt and feelings of worthlessness creeping up in his mind once more. "And to think of how I was going to repay you…"
"Please do not use my choice as a reason to keep living; I'd rather you keep living because you want to."
He looked to argue, but simply closed his mouth and looked out at the horizon instead. Now that he knew about her deal with the fallen Elder God, it made his attempt on his own life appear selfish – as much as he still felt he didn't deserve a second chance at life, he felt that he needed to stay alive in order to give some worth to Kitana's bargain – his death would render her efforts invalid and the guilt of that possibility made him feel terrible. Then again, he'd already made the decision to keep living, difficult as it may be, otherwise he wouldn't be sitting on the balcony with her right now, watching the sun rise.
"Is it possible?" he asked and she looked at him with a confused frown; he pushed on. "Is it possible for someone like me to have a second chance?"
"Of course," Kitana replied honestly and then she promised, "I'll be here with you every step of the way, no matter how little that step is; together, we can rebuild."
She placed her hand on the table, blocking the knives with her arm; Hanzo recognised the invite –it appeared natural so if he chose not to, she wouldn't look foolish – he clasped her hand, curling his fingers between hers and he felt the warmth of her promise. Perhaps there could be something worth salvaging from this second chance and it had nothing to do with Kitana's revelation…at least, not entirely. He knew he could not let her sacrifice go to waste; doing so went against his honour and personal code; in saying that, he felt the stirrings of a new drive: he wanted to repay her by somehow freeing her from her bargain with Shinnok.
He looked at the princess, the early sun's light bathing her in an ethereal glow and there was a surge of warmth at the sight. She had literally gone to hell and back to help him and he was in debt to her, a realisation he was okay with and had every intention of repaying. The dregs of his nightmare flared, but he shoved it back – the darkness would always linger and could never be truly banished, but Hanzo felt that with Kitana by his side, there was a glimmer of hope.
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