You guys!
It has been WAY too long, I'm so sorry. Graduation is just around the corner for me, so I've been incredibly busy with EVERYTHING! Especially finals! My last day of school is soon approaching, and then, I will be able to write more often, even if I have to write on the plane! (Yeah, I'm moving, so things are INCREDIBLY hectic for me right now)! I am SO VERY SORRY!
It had begun. The tournament would begin tomorrow night, and I was scared out of my mind. I tightened the belt of my brand new outfit, something which Raiden had supplied me with; a black shinobi shozoko with matching fingerless gloves. I was wearing black shoes as well and a black mask was given to me; the only thing that wasn't black was the silky white belt that came along with the outfit. Raiden looked at me, the eye contact was never broken I assure you.
"Alright, Ama. We're about to get on the ship, are you sure you have everything you need?"
"Yes." I replied with a confident nod.
Raiden nodded as well and turned his attention to our mode of transportation. I watched as Smoke helped Sub-Zero lift things like common necessities on to the ship and two other men whom I've met in the game but not in person strolled on to the boat, one was proud and refined while the other was making sure that he was watching his step. I squinted my eyes and tilted my head as I watched them board.
"Cyrax and Sektor." Smoke grunted as he lifted another box. "Sektor-"
"Was once the son of the Grandmaster until Sub-Zero took over. Sub-Zero has a lot more to prove than Sektor anyways." I huffed.
Smoke chuckled and nudged me with his elbow. "Don't let him hear you say that. He's known not to show any mercy."
"I'm fully aware." I countered.
I watched as Cyrax boarded and I dropped my head. The days before this one had gone by quickly, and all of my planning would have to be applied at some point, perhaps even my training. I watched as Raiden spoke with the captain of the ship, I watched as Sub-Zero and Smoke exchanged words before carrying on with bringing other things on to the ship, I watched as Ermac...uh...watched me. I watched as Liu Kang meditated in the gardens which I had held dear to me, where Sub-Zero kissed me on the cheek...
My thoughts then ran to Scorpion. I hadn't seen him since he almost kissed me, and that was a while ago. I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and knew that now wasn't the time to be thinking about love lives or who I wanted to be with, it wasn't about me right now. It was about the Forces of Light and what I could do to help them. Those petty things would have to wait some other time.
"Ama."
My eyes snapped open as Sub-Zero walked over to me. He put his hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Do I have a choice?" I giggled.
He gave me a sad, sympathetic look before nodding his head. "I understand how heavy your burden must be. Know that we're here for you all the way through."
"You guys had better not die on me." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.
"I was about to say the same thing to you, Ama." Sub-Zero said gravely, his expression turned somber. He kissed me gently on my forehead and continued packing the ship. I took deep breaths before Ermac approached me.
"How are you, young one?"
"I'm...I'm fine." I squeaked.
"You are nervous, no doubt."
"Well, yeah...I mean, protecting a whole bunch of people was never my cup of tea, this is actually the first time I'm protecting somebody other than myself...and this time, hopefully it's effective..."
"Just as Smoke said, young one. You are capable of anything."
"Just like everybody else." I sighed.
"No, you misunderstand what we are saying, you are more capable of this seemingly impossible feat than anybody else is."
"What are you talking about, I don't have anything celestial to offer or anything like that. And no offense, but you're pretty dumb to believe that I do."
Ermac squinted his eyes. "We are dumb?"
"...Forget it, Ermac." I giggled.
"Everything is on board and ready to go. Are you sure you've got everything?" Smoke asked casually.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I replied.
"Before we leave, I would like to introduce you to a few more members of the Forces of Light." Raiden said, appearing out of nowhere.
I watched as Jax, Sonya, and Johnny came on to the scene. I tried to cover a big grin once I saw them; I was ready to burst in to fangirl mode. Johnny approached me first and with the cockiest smile said, "You must be that one chick who can look in to the future!"
I nodded slowly and eventually released my big grin. "And you're Johnny Cage!"
He gave me a welcomed yet disturbed look. "That's my name, don't soil all over it! No doubt you've seen my movies! Which one is your favorite?"
"Well, I-"
"I must say, I think 'Ninja Mime' was my favorite one. I perfected every move that the director wanted me to do, heck, I even added some moves of my own!" Johnny beamed.
"Uhm...great! I've never-"
"Is it a bit weird if I say that I imagined you a tad bit...bigger? Not fat or anything because that would just be pretty damn unattractive, but I thought you were going to be some muscular hot chick." Johnny commented as he examined me closely.
I stopped smiling, blushed deeply, and frowned gravely. "Jeez, thanks."
"...For what?" He asked cluelessly.
"Excuse him, he's a little slow. I've known him for a good seven minutes and I know that." Sonya butted in.
"Hey, you know how I am, babe!" Johnny smiled.
Sonya rolled her eyes, punched him in the gut, and offered me a genuine smile. "Nice to meet you. Your name?"
"A-A...Ama. Ama Haruki." I replied, my grin returning along with a deep blush.
"Pleasure. I'm Sonya Blade and this is my partner Jax." Sonya motioned to Jax and grinned slightly.
"Nice to meet you, Ama. Hey, how did you manage to come here again?"
"I honestly have no idea! I was just playing Mortal Kombat one night and...well, here I am!" I giggled.
"So that's what this tournament is called, huh? Well, what a coincidence it is that you're here, we were told that you were psychic and that you knew the events of the tournament." Sonya said with her hand on her hip.
"Really? H-how did you find out?" I asked bashfully.
"Through the Special Forces. Everybody was talking about you, but you don't look like some amazing demi-goddess type lady that they said you were. No offense of course." Jax replied.
I wasn't sure whether to take offense...I knew that I was a normal girl, but golly, did they really expect a big-breasted, tiny-waisted, petite-yet-muscular type of girl? Pssh, too bad, I was a reality figure compared to Sonya.
"Hey, would you tell me what happens to me in the future? You know, you being psychic and all!" Johnny asked with a mischevious smile.
"Uh...I don't even know if I'm allowed to, but I can tell you that you survive the entire ordeal!"
"Sweet!" Johnny smiled.
Sonya and Jax looked at one another; I could tell that they wanted to ask me how they turned out and I was about to tell them until Raiden appeared out of nowhere.
"Enough. Stop asking the girl such questions, she needs to focus." Raiden chastised.
Raiden walked off and Johnny put his hands on his hips. "Jeez, what's wrong with him?"
"Wait a minute, you guys don't know who he is?" I asked quickly.
"No. I don't think I want to. I like his hat, but that's about it." Johnny frowned.
"Sonya, I'm about to board the ship. I'll see you in a few minutes." Jax said as he saluted her.
"Right. See you then." Sonya replied.
"I'm going to stick with you, baby." Johnny flirted, his hand hovering over Sonya's shoulder.
She grabbed his arm and, with grace and ease, threw him in front of her. I jumped from the impact and my eyes widened once she slammed her foot on his chest.
"Get away from me." She condemned.
She kicked him away with great force and Johnny staggered to his feet. His mouth wide, he tongued, "Yeah, I'll just...get on the...the ship..."
I watched as he wobbled up the ramp and Sonya huffed in amusement. "He's been bugging me since we met, which was about nine minutes ago and counting."
"Huh..." Was all I could say in return. I came to the realization that Sonya was the first female I had met here. She had the same body parts as I did, she was a woman. I looked around and payed attention to the men as they talked to one another...as much as I enjoyed their company, specifically Smoke's and Sub-Zero's, the company of my own gender helped me feel more at ease; feelings of insecurity would eventually rise of course since Sonya, as well as the other female characters, were fully developed and I...well, wasn't. Yet! But that didn't matter. I inched closer to Sonya slightly and she looked down at me. "Something wrong?"
"Nope!" I chirped.
She raised her eyebrow at me before turning her attention to the men. "You're an odd one. But, as long as you're watching out for us, you have my respect."
"R-R-Really? Wow, that means a lot!" I smiled.
She looked down at me again, nodded, and boarded the ship along with Jax and Johnny. Sub-Zero approached me once again and said gently, "We're ready to board."
"Yeah, I...I know." I gulped.
Sub-Zero stared at me for a little while before taking my hand in to his own. "Come on."
I took small steps toward the ship; I was afraid. I had never been more afraid in my life, but there really was no turning back now. I was here, I accepted the task that had been assigned to me, and as much as I wanted to run away from this responsibility, I had to face it. Sub-Zero's large hand squeezed my petite fingers and I squeezed his hand back just to let him know that I was alright. I was going to be alright. Everything would be fine.
"Welcome aboard the lovely ship of boxes!" Smoke proclaimed, his hand waved effortlessly towards the many boxes which he helped carry. I laughed and released Sub-Zero's hand before crashing in to Smoke's chest and bringing him in to a tight embrace. He looked down at me with great confusion, but chuckled softly and stroked the back of my head. "You're hopeless, you know that?"
"Thanks to you." I mumbled in to his chest.
His gentle stroking of my hair turned in to a rough noogie; I pushed him off of me and grinned. "Oh no you don't."
"Says who?" Smoke crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side.
"Stop it, both of you." Raiden scolded again.
"Raiden, let her have some fun. You know where we're headed, we know where we're headed, she knows where we're headed. Give her some time to enjoy herself, it may be the last time." Smoke countered.
Raiden looked at Smoke, then at me. "Do not distract yourself from the mission at hand, young one."
"Yeah, got it." I replied.
Raiden groaned before he left us to ourselves. It felt like I was sentenced to die or something, but I doubted that I would compete in the tournament itself...oh hell, what if I did die? I mean, I thought of the possibilities and everything, but what if it actually freaking happens to me? That isn't a very good thing, if I die, my soul doesn't go to those nice Pearly Gates, it probably goes to Shang Tsung! Oh noes!
Smoke smacked the back of my head again and I yelped from the impact. "Hey!"
"Would you shut up? Dammit, your thoughts are as loud as a scream from some horror movie." Smoke griped.
I kicked his leg and moved out of the way before he could retaliate. We fought one another playfully for a good ten minutes; I didn't even realize that the ship was already moving, and I doubt that Smoke realized it as well because he was distracted by me. I threw myself on top of him and he grunted slightly.
"You've gotten heavier. What have you been eating?" He asked.
"Just the stuff you've been feeding me. And do you really think I'm gaining weight?"
"Yeah, a little."
"Oh my goodness, awesome! I can finally develop some curves and possibly tone down the extra fat after my breasts grow out-"
"Whoa, too much information." Smoke replied, his hand covered my mouth quickly.
I moved his hand out of the way before giggling and apologizing. Smoke squinted his eyes at me and said, "You know, you're the first girl I've met who is actually happy that she is gaining weight."
"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not like other girls. And that depends; have you met a lot of girls?"
"Obviously. And that was a low blow, you know it." Smoke sighed.
"Oh, you have met one girl in particular! What was her name again...oh yes, JADE! " I yelled.
"...Your ass is mine, you little turd." Smoke smirked.
"But I thought that the only ass you'd want would be Jade's!" I laughed.
"Would you two stop it? I'm trying to meditate." Liu Kang shouted.
Smoke looked up at him and poked me gently. I looked at Liu Kang as well and asked, "What?"
"You want to play a game?" Smoke asked mischievously.
"I'm up for it!" I smiled.
"Alright. Down at the bottom of the ship, there are some supplies. In one of the corners are some eggs. Take a couple of them and bring them back up."
I narrowed my eyes at Smoke. "You want to throw eggs at him?"
"Something like that. Go."
"I don't know, Smoke. He's meditating-"
"He disturbed our conversation."
"I don't know if I would call if a conversation-"
"Go, Ama."
I sighed, lifted myself off of him, and wobbled down to the storage room. I looked around the poorly lit room and wobbled around for about two minutes trying to find the eggs. I heard something crack just as I found them and I turned quickly.
"Who's there." I demanded.
Nothing. Eh, it was probably just the ship being...shippy. I turned my attention back at the eggs and heard the crack again, only it was louder this time. I spun around and clenched my fists. "Look, if there are any creeps down here, I suggest you leave me alone or else!"
It was quiet once again. I huffed and turned towards the eggs again; the crack returned, and I decided to ignore it, but my senses were still on. Somebody was down here, and they either wanted to test themselves when it came to stealth (which they were failing at miserably), or they wanted to play a prank on whoever came down here and I just happened to be customer number one. I growled gently as I picked up a couple of eggs and I heard the cracking sound once again, and it was close. I spun around, threw the eggs, and saw that they landed on Scorpion's torso. I yelped in shock and flew backwards, my back slamming against the rest of the eggs. The sharpness of the shells made me bite my lip just to keep a scream from echoing throughout the place, and Scorpion stared down at me, his glowing eyes showing no sort of emotion. I huffed and lifted myself up; Scorpion watched me and wiped the remains of the eggs from off of his attire.
"What are you...what..." I gasped, trying to regulate my heartbeat.
He didn't say anything. He didn't even move. He just stared at me and blinked occasionally, but rarely. I shook my head and felt my back; it was wet, soppy, sticky, and sharp. I automatically blamed Smoke, if he had not sent me down here, I wouldn't have gotten in to any of this mess. I manuvered my way around Scorpion and groaned with great frustration. Had Scorpion not been down here like a creeper, I wouldn't have destroyed the eggs...dammit, I hoped there were more eggs.
"You have the annoying habit of blaming everybody else but yourself."
I turned around and stared at Scorpion. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, girl."
"Well, I didn't talk to you. I wasn't speaking to you-"
"I don't care." He returned.
I knew to stay calm around him. Yeah, I could throw a tantrum at him and it would be all fine and dandy for a while, but he would get angrier than I ever could and yeah, he had the capability to kill me. I raised my arms in submission and shouted, "You know what, whatever. You win. I'm tired of arguing with you over nothing."
I pushed myself away from the eggs and heard him say, "There are no more eggs thanks to you."
"Okay, what do you want me to do about it?"
He glared at me. "You don't deserve to eat."
I shot him a confused look. "Are you being serious right now?"
He didn't respond, his casual glare still present. I placed my hands on my hips and stomped my foot, frustrated by his repeated and ignorant behavior. "Look, we need to talk about what happened at the palace."
His glare deepened. "No we don't."
"Uh, yes we do. What were you even thinking, Scorpion? What were you trying to-"
"We aren't talking about this." He boomed.
I refused to give in. I clenched my jaw and repeated my question. He looked like he was trying to compose himself, and I was mentally and physically preparing myself for anything physical he could have done at that moment. He didn't break eye contact with me, but he didn't answer my question either, and I was getting pretty damn impatient.
"Just answer me, Scorpion! You almost kissed me while we we there, why? Huh? What was your intention?!"
His glare lightened slightly. I continued, aware that he could come at me at any moment. "Do you not remember what you had? Do you just choose to forget?"
He tensed up and spoke with a threatening tone. "Do not speak about what you do not know about, girl."
"Do not know about? News flash, I know! I know everything about everybody here, and I know everything about you!"
Scorpion clenched his fists. "Enough."
"I know that your father forbade you from joining the Shirai Ryu because he didn't want such a life for you, because even though he himself was a member, he only wanted what was best for you, and the Shirai Ryu wasn't supposed to be an option. Shoot, I know you joined for your family's sake, but damn it, if you listened to your father, you wouldn't be where you are now. I know how you got your code name, your enemies were so afraid of your quick and deadly attacks and your allies were so awe-inspired by them that everybody who came in to contact with you called you 'The Scorpion', I know that you were married, I know that you had a son, I know that you wanted your family to grow. I know that you had friends, I know that you hung out with many of your clansmen and even though you resented some of them while you were still alive, I know how much you wish they were in your company once again."
I took a step forward and whispered, "I know your name is Hanzo Hasashi. I know that under your tough and intolerant exterior is a man who grieves, who cares, and who remembers."
Scorpion tensed up even more and clenched his fists tightly. "Stop."
"I know everything about you, yet you continue to underestimate me."
He turned away from me and pounded the crate next to him. I took a timid stop toward him. "Scorpion..."
"You only know the basics, girl. You know nothing else but basics. It seems that this game only skimmed the surface of who I was and why I became who I am today."
He turned and took a step toward me, his eyes bore deep in to my eyes. "You are correct when you said that my name was Hasashi, Hanzo. You are correct when you said that I had a...a wife and child. You are even correct as to how I obtained my code name. But you don't know how much I loved my wife and child, you don't know how many clansmen I had, you don't know how I was."
I stared up at him and tried to control my argumentative side. I wanted him to continue and surprise me. He did. "You don't know that my wife was pregnant with another child. I was to have a daughter...a healthy baby girl..."
He took a deep breath and continued. "You don't know that I used to hunt for the rest of my clan. They looked up to me to provide them with food and shelter, and I didn't disappoint...I couldn't disappoint. You don't know that I was the son of the Grandmaster himself, I was not simply the son of a member of the clan."
He took another step toward me and I could no longer look at him. I was totally ashamed of myself, I had underestimated him. After all of this time, he was right...I had only known the basics.
"You know nothing but the basics. And the reason I...I was so close to you before?"
He got even closer and it was my turn to tense up. He took another deep breath and said, "You remind me of my wife in many ways. Not by physical appearance, not even her soul being reborn in to your body, no. You started off weak and you somehow became strong. That was how Kana was..."
I shivered from the power in his voice, goosebumps ran all up and down my skin. His voice turned rough as he said, "I suggest you do more 'research' if you will, before you make obtuse judgements, Miss Psychic."
I felt my heart burst out of pity and anger, all towards him. He turned away from me and I stared after him as he climbed up the stairs. Smoke, obviously aware of Scorpion's presence, brushed past him roughly and made his way toward me. "Are you alright?"
I nodded slowly as I continued to stare after Scorpion. Smoke sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Liar. What the hell happened?"
"Nothing, I was just talking to Scorpion." I mumbled, annoyed.
"So, why are there egg remains all over your back?"
"Because I bumped in to them while I was getting a couple of eggs, that's why!"
"Whoa whoa, why are you so pissed off? I didn't do anything to you."
"You sent me down here to get eggs to throw at Liu Kang! If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't have ran in to Scorpion!"
"Wait, what did he do to you?"
"Never mind, I need to clean myself up."
I pushed past Smoke, frustrated with him for having sent me down to get the damned eggs. I was also frustrated with myself for having listened and done it...why was Scorpion even down there to begin with? Did he know that I was coming or something? Did Scorpion want to make me feel like crap again? I brushed past crew members as well as contestants for the tournament and finally bumped in to Sonya. She turned quickly, obviously annoyed. When she saw me, her annoyed look didn't dissipate.
"Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but would you watch where you're going?" She grumbled.
"I'm sorry..." I blushed and took a step back. She stared down at me and put her hand on her hip.
"Is something up?"
"No...well, yes...ugh...it's complicated."
She stared down at me and said, "Then, let me help. I'm bored out of my mind anyhow."
I showed a sign of relief; a woman would help me with guy problems. I had never had that, considering how my mother didn't seem to care that I would one day meet a man as complicated as Scorpion. Or, an undead man...never mind. Sonya leaned against the side of the ship and I followed her lead.
"So, speak your mind. What's going on?"
"...Well...see, it's...about this...guy..."
"Ah, boy problems, huh? Continue."
I stared at the water and said, "Well, he isn't necessarily a boy anymore..."
"Oh, he can't be that much older than you then. How old is he?"
"See, he doesn't necessarily have an age either..."
"Okay...uh...just who exactly are we talking about here?"
"I don't think you know him yet, but...his name is Scorpion."
"...What kind of mother would name her child Scorpion?" Sonya spat.
"No, actually, that's his code name...his real name is Hanzo."
"Okay, what kind of name is Hanzo-"
"Sonya. Seriously."
She stared at me for a bit before apologizing. I told her everything about Scorpion, all down to the fine details. She listened intently and commented every now and then. After I finished speaking, she stood up straight and brushed her bangs away from her face.
"Well. It seems to me that you have a real issue on your hands. This Scorpion guy shouldn't be taken lightly, I get that...but still. From what you've told me, there's more to him than some tough guy."
"That's what I truly believe. I just don't know if he does as well."
"Well, in the end, that's not really not up to you. It all comes down to him. And considering the fact that he's dead, something I cannot get over for the life of me...I don't think he cares anymore about what anybody thinks of him, or how they'll react whenever he does something considered absolutely rude and all, you know?"
"Yeah..." I sighed.
"As for this Sub-Zero guy? That's all up to you. Do you like him?"
"Yes, I do."
"And you also like this Scorpion, after all of the stuff he's put you through?"
"I just don't even know anymore...it's all so confusing, and I'd rather focus on the tournament and helping you guys out more than this stupid boy trouble stuff."
"Well, I don't know how this could help you, but it's something my father once told me. When it comes to guys, forget about it."
"...Yeah, that doesn't really help."
"Yeah, I didn't think so." Sonya sighed.
Shang Tsung watched the seas carefully, his hand gently stroking his beard. Quan Chi stood beside him, his hands nonchalantly placed on his hips.
"She is coming." Quan Chi spoke.
"Yes. At the speed the ship is going, they should be here by tomorrow evening. Perfect timing." Shang Tsung replied.
Quan Chi nodded and watched as the waves crashed against the rocks gracefully. He didn't like Shang Tsung simply because the sorcerer tried to out-beat him when it came to power and ability. The sorcerer would surely steal the girl's soul the first chance he had. Luckily for him, he was powerful than Shang Tsung, and that is what started the cycle of resentment. But the truth was obvious; Shao Kahn wanted the girl for himself. If any of the sorcerers stood in his way, he would surely terminate both of them. Shang Tsung looked over at Quan Chi and Quan Chi returned his look.
"Once that girl comes, do not let her out of your sight. I'd like to see what kind of power a child of an Elder God possesses." Shang Tsung smirked.
"Oh crap!"
I backed away from the corner of my small cabin slowly. My skills wouldn't apply in such a dire situation, and it scared the hell out of me. Before long, Sub-Zero crashed through the door, his eyes wide. He looked like he was prepared to take down a bandit, and I sure was happy he looked like he was.
"Ama, what's wrong? What happened?" He huffed, seemingly dumbfounded yet prepared by my scream.
"In the corner..." I whispered. "There's a...a..."
"A what, what is it?" He demanded carefully.
"A...cockroach..." I finished.
Sub-Zero lowered his shoulders and rolled his eyes before proceeding to the corner of the cabin. He slammed his hand over the cockroach, killing it instantly. I watched and made sure that I was dead before smiling sheepishly at him. "Hehe, sorry...it was a cockroach and I don't...like...cockroaches."
He didn't look amused. "You woke half of the ship up for a little cockroach?"
"Hey, I have a phobia for bugs. Small, big, whatever. And did I really wake up half of the ship?"
He wiped the remains of the cockroach on a small towel of mine, his unamused look still present. "Yes. Here I thought you were being attacked."
"I'm sorry..." I blushed.
He sighed and pecked me gently on my forehead. "It's alright. Just don't be a wimp."
"Hey, I am not a wimp!"
He raised his eyebrows and pointed to the cockroach remains on the wall. I blushed more, determined not to lose my case. "Well, that thing was abnormally huge, you saw it!"
"It was as big as the cockroaches in the Palace, and as I recall, you lived there for quite some time."
"Hah, I didn't see any cockroaches!"
"That's because the place is constantly clean."
I crossed my arms, still determined. "Well, you could have at least told me that there were cockroaches there!"
"Why would I have done that? Your recent reaction was a good indication that I shouldn't have." He retorted.
"...You're good. But so am I!"
He rolled his eyes again, took a couple of steps toward me, placed his hands over my cheeks, and kissed me passionately. My eyes widened before I slowly submitted and kissed him back. Once he released me, I continued to pucker my lips up, expecting more. He laughed gently and said, "At least that shut you up."