He wasn't certain how long he'd been asleep, yet at some point Kuai Liang found himself fighting his way back to the waking world. However, he soon discovered it was more difficult than he thought getting there. His rest was troubled because he told himself he should wake up, but his brain simply laughed at him and plunged him back into nightmares of recent events. Once, however, it allowed him to open his eyes, and though he couldn't be sure if it was a dream or reality, he saw Annalise flipping through a narrow binder at the foot of his bed. In a haze, he imagined she'd traded her scrubs for a tight white t-shirt and jeans that accentuated the fine curvature of her body. Kuai Liang wanted to touch her, but when he lifted his arm, he found it was too heavy and it flopped weakly onto his bed once more. She looked up and smiled at him, her face radiant in the artificial light, but he unwillingly drifted back asleep once more.

At least now, however, his brain let him dream of her.

Sometime later, he pried his eyes open again and took a moment to let them adjust to the dim light. His lungs still burned like they did when Shao Kahn crushed them with the hammer, but at least his breathing came a little easier now, his effort aided by the oxygen rushing into his nose through tubes and his bed adjusted to a forty-five degree angle. He saw that he was dressed in a loose gown, and he promptly lifted the hem to his chin to see if part of his rib cage still floated inside his chest, but the only thing he could see was a sea of white. From his belly to his clavicle, there was nothing but thick padding and surgical tape. The Cryomancer shifted slightly in his bed and felt something move between his legs. Suspiciously, he lifted his blankets and saw that someone put a catheter in him, and the knowledge that a stranger saw and touched his genitals while he was unconscious humiliated him. If Tomas were here, he'd be having a field day making jokes. He grunted in weary annoyance and then dropped his covers back into place.

"Hey, look who's finally awake!" a voice cried enthusiastically. Kuai Liang looked to the doorway and saw Johnny standing on the threshold, waving for someone in the hall to come to him. The Cryomancer rubbed his eyes tiredly. Not Johnny. Anyone but Johnny.

A moment later, Liu, Kitana, and Jade wedged through the doorway as well. "Hello, Sub-Zero," Kitana greeted first. She had traded her Outworld outfit for a purple sweater and black slacks. Beside her, he noticed Jade's arm was wrapped in a cast from her fingers to her shoulder. She too had traded in her clothes for a sheer green blouse and black skirt.

"How are you feeling?" Liu asked as Johnny plopped into the chair in the corner.

"Alive." He paused. "Where am I?"

"You're in a military hospital in some secret base called Ft. Albany," the actor explained. "Very hush hush. We had to get special clearance from the big-wigs just to come see you all. I think Jax pulled some serious strings, but even still, we get an escort from the gate all the way to this hall, and there's a guard outside to make sure we stay put. Stryker and Nightwolf are here too. Their brains were scrambled, but they're a lot better now."

Kuai Liang remembered how Shao Kahn stunned them with some sort of magic, and then the other events surrounding the invasion surged through his memory at once. He looked at his teammates. "What's going on out there? Is everything...back to normal?"

"Well, after Raiden defeated Shao Kahn, all the invading squads retreated," the Shaolin monk explained. "But there have been a lot of casualties. And of course, a lot of things got destroyed. It's going to be a while before things really get back to normal."

At the mention of the Emperor's name, the Cryomancer remembered Annalise. He sat up straight, ignoring his ribs' angry protest as he did. "Annalise! Is she safe? What-"

"Dude, the naughty nurse is alright," Johnny stopped him.

He scowled. "Don't talk about her like that," he snapped. "And don't call me 'dude.' Where is she?"

"Jeez, take it easy," the actor replied, holding up his hands. "All I meant was that she's smoking hot. She could be in Hollywood. You think I've got a shot with her?"

"Johnny," Jade hissed as the Cryomancer felt ice flow into his hands.

"What? What did I say?" he asked her, shrugging because he sincerely didn't know what he'd said.

Kuai Liang glared at his teammate and raised his fist. "I'm gonna kill you," he growled.

Kitana must have sensed what was coming, so she gently grabbed his wrist and forced it down. "Calm down, Sub-Zero," she said softly. "Annalise is around here somewhere, and has been since Jax's sky healers brought you, Nightwolf, and Kurtis to this place."

"Sky healers?" he repeated, looking to Liu for an explanation as his powers receded.

"A medevac team," the monk said. "They brought you here in a helicopter."

He said nothing, only nodded his understanding. "Do you know where she is? I want to see her."

"I think she's with Kabal."

Kuai Liang's anger instantly returned, and he felt his cheeks flush with fire as his face wrenched into an ugly mask. He gripped the bed rails to adjust his posture on the mattress, and suddenly he heard a familiar cracking and popping sound. Beneath his skin, frosty white ice stretched and expanded until both sides were completely frozen. He looked at what he'd done stupidly. Why did he keep doing that?

"Man, what'd the bed rails ever do to you?" Johnny asked.

Kuai Liang ignored the sarcastic remark, and instead glanced up at his teammates, all of whom bore wide-eyed expressions on their faces. When he gazed at Liu, the monk quickly added, "They're just checking on Stryker. She's been going back and forth between all three of you, and since Kabal obviously has a history with him and wanted to see him, she volunteered to take him to him."

He merely grumbled his displeasure at that, leaning back once more and crossing his arms angrily. Kabal was a great warrior and had proven himself helpful to Earthrealm's cause, but Kuai Liang did not like the idea of Annalise hanging around him alone. "Did Raiden ever return?"

"He did," Liu nodded.

"And?"

"And the Elder Gods made him one of them. He's now the Elder God of Air, taking Shinnok's place."

"Good to know someone got rewarded for this nightmare," he drily remarked as he threw his head back into his pillows in frustration.

Now Jade spoke. "You do not think you have been rewarded?" she asked with a knowing smile. "You have lost much in recent weeks, Cryomancer. I do not think anyone would argue that. But, have you not gained much as well? Have you not made new allies, and met a woman you clearly care much for? Have you not learned of your true heritage and that you are the descendant of an Elder God?"

He sighed. She had a point. "I suppose you're right," he agreed, relaxing.

"But now I wish to know something, Sub-Zero," Kitana interrupted. "Now that Shao Kahn has been defeated, and Earthrealm is secure, will you keep fighting alongside us?"

Kuai Liang looked around at them. They gazed back expectantly, clearly hoping he'd say yes. And then his eyes met Johnny, who promptly said, "Come on, buddy, it'll be fun! Give us a chance to get to know each other."

"I'm leaving," he immediately announced, looking at the princess.

"Oh, come on!" he heard the actor yelp from the corner.

He ignored him. "I've got to find my sister," he said. "And I've also got to find a way to redeem my brother's soul, and save Smoke from the Lin Kuei. I'm sorry. It's just something I have to do. I owe it to them. They would do the same for me if the tables were turned."

"Would you like our help?" Jade asked.

"Thank you, but no," he answered. "I think I've got to do this alone."

"May the Elder Gods watch over you, then," Liu told him as he rested his hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, we will be here for you."

"Hi," a new voice said from the doorway. Kuai Liang jumped and then kicked himself for letting himself be startled. He saw Annalise standing on the threshold.

Jade knowingly grinned at him, and then she looked to the others. "Let us go," she declared. "I would like to see Nightwolf now. Come, Johnny." She motioned for the actor to follow him.

He promptly obeyed, but before he left with the others, he leaned over Kuai Liang and whispered, "I'm sorry about before, Subby. I didn't realize...That's one amazing woman you've got there."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "She doesn't belong to me, so whatever you're implying-"

"Well, between you and me," he interrupted, "chicks don't hang around in a hospital for a few days just because. She seriously hasn't gone home once. Food for thought, bro." Then he patted Kuai Liang on the arm before he stood up, and made a strange hand gesture that involved bending his fingers until they looked like a gun, and pretended to fire at the Cryomancer. Then he looked at the nurse. "Go get him, Gorgeous," he said to her with a smirk as he left the room.

"Annalise," he croaked, suddenly noticing the scratchy dryness of his throat.

"What was that about?" she grinned as she came inside and stood by the bed. He immediately noticed the evil bruise marring half her face. Her eye was completely swollen shut and shaded a sickly purple and red color. Guilt coursed through him. He would've spared her that, and he cursed his weakness for being unable to defend her against Shao Kahn.

"Who knows?" he lied, feeling ashamed.

"He's kind of an idiot," she said.

Kuai Liang nodded. "He's a decent man." He couldn't believe he'd just said that. Not two minutes ago, he'd wanted to kill the guy. But Johnny's apology had raised his opinion of him quite considerably. And, it did give him pause to think. She wouldn't have stuck around for days unless she cared deeply for the patient. The question was, who did she stay for? She barely spoke to Nightwolf, so it was doubtful she remained for him. So that left him or Stryker. But a little voice inside of him, wishful thinking perhaps, insisted Stryker was purely an afterthought. She stayed for him.

"I guess," she replied.

"Annalise, I'm glad to see you well. You have no idea," he opened.

She smiled again and nodded. "You know you can call me Anya if you want."

His eyebrows knit together at her declaration. "I thought you only let your friends call you that," he slowly replied.

She chuffed softly at the remark. "Well, after what we've gone through together, I think it's safe to say we're friends." He looked up at her and admired her body. She was dressed in a snug t-shirt and jeans. It hadn't been a dream after all. Oblivious to his hopeless gawking, she rested her hands on the bed rail, then recoiled when they felt ice. "Oh, my God!" she cried. "What happened to the rails?"

"I froze them," he answered, embarrassment flooding his cheeks.

"Why on earth did you do that?"

"It was an accident," he explained, not really sure himself how it happened. "I was confused...upset. It took me a moment to gather my bearings." He didn't know why he'd just lied to her.

With an astonished look on her face, she laughed softly. "Does that happen often?" she wondered.

He shook his head no. "Not particularly," he muttered, looking away as fire burned through his cheeks. "Only when my feelings are out of control."

Now she smiled as she sat on the bed beside him and pushed his hair from his face. "How do you feel now?" she asked.

"Better than I did," he answered, and that much was true. "And I can breathe again, so I suppose that's something. What happened to me?"

She paused and swallowed hard while a distressed expression crossed her face. "The doctors had to do surgery on you. You punctured your lung, and it collapsed. The other side had broken ribs too, but thankfully, they didn't puncture anything. They were trying to, though. So basically, the surgeon had you in a medically induced coma on a ventilator for the last three days, and it was touch and go for a while. But you finally stabilized during the night last night, so the surgeon took you off it this morning. Thank goodness you're a fighter."

"Huh." Kuai Liang knew it sounded stupid, but it was all he could think of to say.

"Do you want some water?" she asked as she found his pitcher on the bedside table. "I imagine you're throat is pretty sore right now. You've had a pretty big tube shoved down it."

"Yes, please," he answered as she stared at him expectantly.

She moved to the sink to fill the pitcher. Then she poured a cup and handed it to him, watching him while he gulped it down. It was ice cold and refreshing on his irritated throat. But he frowned, unable to take his eyes off her bruised face. He wanted to cut Shao Kahn into little pieces for daring to lay a hand on her.

"I'm sorry he hurt you," he apologized.

An ornery grin to mask her sudden embarrassment spread over her lips. "This?" Anya asked as she pointed to her black eye. "Aw, this is nothing. You do remember I work in an insane asylum, right? Good ol' Edward packs a meaner punch than the Emperor." She laughed lightly, but Kuai Liang knew she was lying.

"Well, if it's all the same to you, when I'm able to leave this place, I'll teach you how to defend yourself."

"Okay, easy there, Tiger," she said as she held up her hands. "Are you expecting more interdimensional tyrants to attack me in the future?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," he said. "But I'd feel a lot better knowing you could handle yourself in a fight. You've got to be able to protect yourself."

"Are you hungry?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"No, not really," he answered truthfully, bewildered by her avoidance.

"Oh, good, I thought you must be," she said as if she hadn't heard him.

"No, Anya, I'm not-"

"Yeah, don't argue with me," she replied. "You argued with me about going to the hospital, and you damn near died."

"But I didn't die," he protested.

"Only because I am a ninja of the very ancient and sacred art of nursing," she waved her hands around in a pseudo-karate chop. Kuai Liang thought she looked more like she was having a seizure than demonstrating a martial arts form, but he found it terribly funny and chuckled before he realized it still hurt.

"Don't make me laugh," he groaned.

"Then don't argue with me," she smiled. "You're eating, if I have to force it down your throat with a plastic tube. I may not know Kung Fu, but I do know how to do that." She put her hands on her hips and stared at him as if daring him to defy her.

"But I'm really not hungry."

"Don't make me do Choppin' Broccoli," she threatened.

He had no idea what that meant, but he didn't really want to find out when his lungs still ached, so he nodded in concession, unable to conceal his smile. "All right," he said, so she pressed a button on his bed and called his nurse to ask for a food tray.

"I'll help you eat if you want," she volunteered. "I don't mind. I know it probably hurts to lift your arms. But first, may I?" She pointed to his chest.

"What are you going to do?" he asked after he nodded yes.

"I just want to check the bandages to make sure these incisions are draining properly. Gotta make sure the Scarecrow isn't losing his stuffing," she laughed as she got a pair of surgical gloves from a dispensary box on the wall.

"Anya, what does that mean?" he asked in all seriousness. "What Scarecrow?"

"Haven't you ever seen The Wizard of Oz?" she asked.

"No, I haven't seen any movies. Ever."

"Are you serious?"

He slightly shrugged. "It wasn't important to the Lin Kuei, and if it wasn't important, we didn't have it."

She thought about what he'd said as she folded down his covers. "Well, we're gonna have to do something about that," she finally declared. Then she carefully rolled up his hospital gown, revealing the white pads and surgical tape beneath. Her long fingers gently brushed his skin as they peeled back the bandages, sending flurries of excitement through him until he scarcely noticed his pain. Anya leaned over and sniffed the injuries, which intrigued him, and then she stood up again and refastened the tape.

"Why did you just smell me?" he asked.

"Looking for infection. A bad smell is one of the first signs."

"And?"

She flashed that ornery grin at him once more. "And your skin smells good, like hand sanitizer and iodine." She peeled off her gloves and threw them away.

Kuai Liang raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like it smells very good to me."

"It does to me. Nothing like the smell of antiseptic in the evening! It's what I live for." She laughed when she saw the look of confusion on his face, and tousled his hair gently. "It's a nurse thing." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. Pleasant chills raced down his spine. "I meant to tell you that I have some news."

"Good or bad?"

"Good. Your mom will be getting out of Rockford soon. She's really pulled herself together since you came to see her the other day. It's like she's a whole new woman. I think you'd be proud of her for making such great strides."

He smiled. "I am proud of her. For that, and so much more." He paused, inhaled deeply, and looked away. "But I don't know how to tell her about Bi-han or Sarah."

Anya sat on the edge of the bed beside him, never releasing his hand. "You are in a pickle with that, aren't you?" she nodded. "I suppose it's a good thing that I know her very well, and I can help you with that." She cupped his cheek and traced it with her thumb. "I've been calling her on the phone to give her updates about you. She wanted me to send you her love." She paused now and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Connor, for bringing her some comfort and closure. And, well, thanks for everything else too." She held his hand to her heart, and he immediately decided he liked the feel of the swell of her breast beneath his knuckles.

"You're welcome," he said, having trouble thinking of anything but her body now. "But please...call me Kuai Liang. I know that Connor's my real name, but Kuai Liang is the only one I've been called for as long as I can remember."

"Okay. Kuai Liang." She smirked at that. "Man, I butchered it so bad when I first met you."

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, you did," he said, prompting her to laugh. It was like listening to lively chimes. "I think I should be the one doing the thanking, though."

At that point, a stern black woman dressed in green fatigues came into his room toting a tray of food. Her plastic name tag said 'Paige Reed: CNA along with other credentials, numbers, and a barcode, and her insignia indicated she was a Private. "Glad to see you're finally awake," she said as she pulled his tray table to the side of his bed and set his dinner on top of it. "Now, Dr. Jones wants you on a soft diet, so that's what you got."

He furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. He was on a soft diet, just like a baby? The idea bothered him. He wanted Annalise to see him as strong, as a man. Not as a mewling kitten. Women, Tomas once told him, said they wanted to see men as vulnerable, sensitive human beings, but in reality they wanted to know their men could protect them like a proverbial knight in shining armor. Kuai Liang thought that both of those expectations were unrealistic, but even still, it already crossed his mind that being laid up in the hospital like a weak, newborn infant must have somehow negatively impacted her opinion of him. That didn't even count her thoughts about him being stabbed and crushed in front of her on the same day. He didn't need this added humiliation to contend with too.

"Do you need help eating?" Paige asked as she grinned knowingly at the young, off-duty nurse. "Or are you in good hands with Miss Annalise here?"

"I think I'm in good hands," he said, flushing in embarrassment as she raised his bed up even more so that he could sit up to eat.

"That's nice," she said. "I'll be back in a little bit to get your tray and take your vitals." And with that, she left.

Anya promptly began feeding him applesauce, chicken soup, and apple juice until the serving cups were completely clean. It felt good to eat, and he was much hungrier than he thought he was. It hurt to swallow, however, mainly because his ribs still slightly felt like they brushed against each other with their jagged edges inside his chest, but he tried to be a good patient who didn't complain. Surely, she already thought him weak, but he didn't have to make her think he was whiny too. If she had any such notions, she hid them well.

Wordlessly, she grabbed a remote connected to the bed by a thin wire, clicked some buttons to turn on the TV, and found cartoons. On the screen, the same sponge-man and starfish that were printed on her scrubs a few days ago danced across the screen in their ridiculous antics. She smiled sadly, undoubtedly thinking of little Tasha because he knew he was, and set the remote down before she grabbed a cup of thick, brownish-black substance and swirled the spoon through it. Kuai Liang sighed, remembering how not too long ago, he had rebuked Tomas for watching a children's television show. The tables had turned, much to his chagrin.

"I'm a grown man, Anya. Why am I watching a child's cartoon?"

She grinned. "That's the price you have to pay for me to feed you," she shot back as she fed him that suspicious food on the spoon. A pleasant sweetness overwhelmed his taste buds.

He liked it. "What is that?" he asked.

"Are you serious? This is chocolate pudding," Anya replied.

"Again, if the Lin Kuei didn't find it important, we didn't have it," he retorted.

"But chocolate is important!" she argued. "It's comfort food. And it's saved many a man from a terrible fate I like to call 'death by girlfriend.'" She paused. "So what do you have against SpongeBob?"

Kuai Liang raised an eyebrow. "SpongeBob?" he repeated. "Well, let's start with the name. And then there's the fact that he's a cleaning sponge, not a sea sponge. And now they've got a fire burning underwater. That's just...stupid!"

"I think he's cute." She flashed a knowing grin at him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. She was up to something, but what he couldn't say.

"What's with the squirrel in the space suit?" he asked a moment later when he returned his vision to the TV.

"That's Sandy," she explained, still flashing him an ornery smile. "Just a girl who wandered into Spongebob's world one day and found it so intriguing she couldn't bring herself to leave. A very curious squirrel, that Sandy."

On the screen, the talking yellow sponge let out an obnoxious laugh that lasted at least thirty seconds longer than was necessary. By the time he finally let up, the Cryomancer's teeth were on edge, and he was on the brink of throwing ice daggers through the glass. Instead, he looked at Anya, who was now maneuvering the rolling table out of the way. "He's annoying."

"Well, that's the thing about SpongeBob," she began with a smirk as she sat on the edge of his bed again and took both his hands in her own. Then her eyes met his. "I'm a grown woman, right? But I'm channel-surfing one day, and I find this cartoon, and I start to watch it. Like you, it bugged the crap out of me at first. I mean, who could possibly find this guy redeeming?" Anya leaned closer. "But, even though I just wanted to move on and find something better to watch, I couldn't. I kept watching, and he started to grow on me. And then, God help me, I realized I actually liked him!"

Kuai Liang stared back in confusion. He got the feeling she was being coy. "I don't understand what that means," he said.

Anya chuckled softly. "Oh, dear. Kuai Liang, methinks I'm being too subtle."

With that, she leaned over, cupped his face with her hands, and gently pressed her lips onto his. Even though their faces were bruised, swollen messes, the exhilaration he felt when her fat lip gently sucked on his somehow swept his breath from his lungs, and on the monitor tracking his vital signs above him, his heart line spiked with an erratic and high-pitched beep. Her lips were just so soft, and so full, and they prompted scorching fire to spread through his muscles, including his groin. He was shocked to find he wanted more, and instinctively, he pulled her closer to him to suckle on her lips too even though his brain was shouting warnings at him to end this now. This...this was practically forbidden in the Lin Kuei, he reminded himself, and therefore he needed to make her stop. Shut up, you idiot! another voice promptly screamed back. You're not Lin Kuei anymore. That voice won, thankfully, because he didn't want to obey the other. For a long, blissful moment, he kissed her back harder, his breathing growing erratic and fast by the time Anya pulled away from him and cocked her head expectantly at him.

"What was that for?" he asked in all sincerity, his legs still tingling in pleasure to his curled toes.

"What can I say, Kuai Liang?" she replied as she pushed his hair back with her delicate fingers and then kissed his forehead for good measure. "You're my SpongeBob." She immediately slid off the bed, much to his disappointment, and grabbed a black motorcycle jacket and helmet from beside her chair in the corner. "Now that I know you're gonna live, I'm gonna go home now and go to bed. I'm pretty tired, and my back is killing me for sleeping in a chair these last few days. Not that I slept much, but you know. But I'll see you around, okay?"

"If that is what you wish," he agreed as she leaned on the door jamb and looked back.

"Hey, Kuai Liang?"

"Yeah?"

"When you're better, would you like to hang sometime?"

"Hang what?"

She burst out laughing. "I mean would you like to go to dinner with me, silly? Watch a movie, go to the mall. Just something. Let me try to give you a crash course in American culture. You obviously have a lot of catching up to do."

He sheepishly smiled at his error. "I would like that very much," he replied, fighting now to maintain his cool exterior. But the heart monitor above him beeped rhythmically in time with the butterflies doing aerial jumps for joy in his stomach, belying him. He gently rubbed his belly, silently commanding them to stop flapping. She looked from his hands to the monitor in amusement, obviously knowing what fires were really burning deep within.

"Cool," she said. "Well, get some sleep. You need it."

Like I'll be able to sleep after that.

But he kept his thought to himself and nodded, saying, "You too." His heart leaped into his throat when he thought of her climbing into her bed. He wished he could go with her, and was slightly tempted to pull the IV from his arm to follow her. But, he was certain she'd stop him if he tried, so he quelled the urge. Embarrassed as if she could read his thoughts, he cleared his throat and suddenly became very fascinated with the IV tubing jutting from his right knuckle.

His awkwardness seemed to amuse her even more, though, and before she walked into the hall, she blew him a kiss and said, "Good night, Kuai Liang." Then she was gone before he could reply.

He immediately missed her and wanted her to come back, and he looked at the empty door frame in longing. When she didn't return like he wanted, he sulked for a minute before he started watching Spongebob's antics once again. Annalise had left the remote to the TV on the table out of his reach, so he was stuck watching the annoying cartoon until someone came in and gave him the controller. He vaguely got the notion she did that on purpose, so he frowned and carefully crossed his arms and stared at the screen, wondering why on Earth she liked that talking sponge so much.

Tomas would've liked this show. A little surge of sadness drifted through him as he thought of his best friend, and his brother, and even his sister. He'd meant what he told his teammates. He was determined to find a way to save them all. He just wished he knew where to begin. But as Kuai Liang watched the sponge and the starfish and the squirrel on the screen, he felt relaxed for the first time in ages. Before he knew it, he found himself daydreaming about Anya, gradually drifting back to sleep as he came to the conclusion that in spite of the problems he still needed to tackle, at that moment, all was right with the world. In the background, he heard Spongebob cackle once more. This time, Kuai Liang laughed too.

THE END