Author's Note: I'm sorry for the delay, I've been a bit preoccupied with my novel novel. Also, I look forward to your angry emails about this one.
"Anya!" the Hydromancer heard her husband cry once Kailyn and Tomas killed all of the archers above, and the remaining Edenian aggressors had fled like Tanya did. She heard his footsteps thumping towards her in the dirt, their steady, quick cadence practically shouting their worry, and within seconds, he was at her side, gingerly touching her back. "Oh, my God, Anya, you're bleeding badly," he breathed.
"Help me sit up," she croaked, straining to breathe.
"I don't think that's a good idea," he sternly told her.
"Goddamn it, help me sit!" she snapped, more worried about tending to her wounded friends than herself. The nurse in her could never quit, especially in times like these.
When Tanya had first stabbed her, she hadn't even realized that's what had happened. She merely felt like the woman had punched her, and hard. It wasn't until she felt blood gushing down her back, and then the grinding pain of Tanya's boot heel in her back that she'd put two and two together. Flaring heat burrowed through her shoulder, setting her arm on fire, rendering it useless. But it was the opposite arm that Kuai Liang grabbed as he helped yank her to her butt. Hissing and groaning through gritted teeth, she finally found herself upright.
And now she looked at her husband, studying the face she'd grown to love more than anything in the world, even now when she couldn't decide whether to forgive him or divorce him. He was mostly intact save for bumps and bruises typical after a battle, though a wicked gash notably sawed through his jaw, streaking his beard with a steady stream of blood. "Your face," she murmured gently, reaching out with her fingers to heal it.
"No, Ahn," he said as he pushed her hand away. "Don't worry about me. But Blue…" His sapphire eyes grew dark with fear. "She needs you worse, baby."
"Help her," she immediately directed him, slowly turning onto her knees. "I'm coming."
He nodded his understanding and then scrambled to the Seidan wolf to tend to her injuries and comfort her if he could. His back was to Anya, but as she crawled to them, her shoulder screaming in agony, she heard him say, "Oh, Blue. You poor, old girl." A heavy, sad sigh followed. Then: "Just hang on, Blue. Anya's on her way right now. She'll fix you up, good girl. My good, good girl."
As the Hydromancer Healer approached, Kuai Liang moved out of the way, giving her her first good look at her faithful friend. Blue lay bleeding on her side, her chest heaving in discomfort. An Edenian arrow jutted from her ribs, Tanya's tonfa from her neck. Downy white fur, which was ordinarily purer than an angel's wings, was now stained bright red. Every painful breath taken produced a pitiful whimper, and when her soulful blue eyes met her master's lavender ones, they seemed as if they were begging her to end her suffering.
"Oh, my God," she whispered, fighting down the tears building behind her eyes. The nurse in her only allowed one moment of grief, but then, it was time to get to work. "It's going to be okay, Blue," she reassured her. She buried her fingers in the soft fur away from the injuries, gently stroking the magnificent animal, Hotaru's gift to her. "You did really good, sweet girl. You took care of me. Now it's time for me to take care of you."
"Anya, you're badly hurt," Kenshi pointed out as he approached with Hanzo, Tomas, and Kailyn.
"He is right," the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster agreed as he knelt behind Anya to examine her more closely. Without her permission, he pushed aside her tank top and bra strap to peer at the deep hole. "You're bleeding profusely."
"I'll live," she barked, shrugging him away and looking up at Tomas. "Scan her, please," she asked him. "What kind of damage am I looking at, exactly?"
He started to answer, but Hanzo interrupted him. "You need to heal yourself, Annalise," he said to her. "This is far beyond simple first aid."
"So I'll use my powers in a minute," she snapped at him, annoyed. Couldn't they see how hurt Blue was? "This is kind of more important, so will you kindly get out of my way?" She glowered at him. His face was smooth and expressionless, but he inhaled deeply and now looked at Kuai Liang for support.
"Ahn," the Cryomancer sadly spoke, agreeing with his friend. He glanced at Blue with eyes full of regret. "Honey, you know you can't do both."
His words jarred her to her senses. As if he'd just slapped her in the face, she looked at him with wide, bewildered eyes. It was her limitation, she knew. Healing others with her powers came with a hefty price; it depleted her own energy as well as her body's natural healing processes. When she was perfectly healthy, this wasn't such a terrible problem. But if she herself was hurt or sick, and still she tried to heal, it stole her life force and often made her illness or injury far worse than it had been to begin with.
Anya suddenly realized she had to make a choice: it was her or Blue.
She swallowed hard and looked around, first at her husband, then everyone else. How could she make that decision? She thought of the day Hotaru gave Blue to her, entrusting her to care for one of his best tracking wolves. He hadn't been particularly thrilled to transfer ownership to a "chaosmonger," but in the end, he had let Blue decide for herself. Unlike her Earthrealm counterparts, she was preternaturally aware – to say nothing of telepathic and empathic – and therefore more than capable of making the choice on her own. And she'd chosen to stay with Anya.
She'd all but adopted the Hydromancer anyway – and Tomas to a lesser extent as well – after the two had saved her from drowning in the frozen lake beneath the Bīnglěng Dì Dìyù. After half-mauling her two rescuers out of fright, Blue had run off into the tunnels, presumably to hide, perhaps to freeze to death. Shortly thereafter, they'd all been arrested by Kuai Liang's distant kin, the Cryomancers, that reclusive, ancient race who'd very nearly put them all to death until Himavat had intervened. But to Anya's surprise, Blue had followed her to Mòhé, determined to stay close to her; Hotaru had informed her that his wolf felt indebted to her, and had returned to repay her for saving her life.
From that point on, the two unlikely friends had been inseparable. Every day in the Lin Kuei Temple, Blue had joined Anya in the infirmary, comforting the sick and the injured like a service dog – paying particular attention to the children – nuzzling and cuddling them to ease their stress and fear. She romped around with the Hydromancer when her master was happy, and when she was sad, she licked her face and curled up with her while she cried to console her. When Anya had given birth to each of her babies, Blue automatically doted on them as if they were her own cubs, helping her master by fetching toys, diapers, or bottles whenever she needed a second set of hands. She even protected them like the most ferocious mother in the world.
One time, the Hydromancer remembered, all four children as well as their parents were playing with the wolf outside in the snow when a polar bear and her cub ventured too close to the Temple. The mama bear charged as if to attack, and was met by 300 pounds of solid muscle before Anya or Kuai Liang could even react. Blue was smaller than her enemy, but not by much. Seidan wolves were also different than their Earthrealm counterparts in that they were a hell of a lot bigger. And in the end, the bear decided it wanted nothing to do with Blue's enormous teeth or claws; she, and her little cub, bolted in the opposite direction before they could think of getting close to the children.
Blue was truly Anya's best friend. The thought of losing her now ripped her in two. So how could she be expected to choose her life over the wolf's?
The nurse looked up at Tomas again. "Give me a rundown of her injuries," she said again. "Please?" she practically begged. "Maybe I can do old-fashioned first-aid on her." The cyber-ninja hesitated, glancing at Kuai Liang as if asking for permission, but when he saw his sister-in-law's eyes fill with pleading tears, he sighed and held up his cybernetic hand to scan Blue's body.
"The arrow collapsed her lung," he quietly reported, his Czech accent thick with distress once more. "The tonfa has damaged her spinal cord. She's…she's not going to make it without surgery, miláček. Even then, I don't think the odds of her surviving it are good."
"Thank you, Tomas," Kuai Liang irately snapped at him.
She almost started to cry, but she quickly stuffed down her emotions and stopped herself when an idea suddenly occurred to her. She looked up at Kenshi. "Are there any Tarkatan or Edenian survivors?" she demanded to know.
Bewildered, the swordsman cocked his head at her, but then put his fingers to both of his temples to psychically scan the battlefield. A few seconds later, he nodded. "An Edenian archer is still alive up there," he told her.
"Get him for me," she ordered. "Quickly!"
"Anya, what are you doing?" Kuai Liang now asked. He rested his hand on her good shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes, coaxing out a confession.
"I'm getting a power-up," she cryptically told him, though inwardly, she was thinking of the Tarkatan she'd killed not long ago after he'd nearly killed her husband. She'd stolen his life force and took it all into her soul, aging and killing him in a matter of seconds. She wondered if she could repeat that stunt, and this time use the extra energy to save both Blue and herself. It was the only shot she really had.
"Kenshi, please hurry," she impatiently urged him.
Using his telekinesis, the swordsman summoned the wounded body and deposited it beside Anya. She gulped as she rubbed her hands together. Then she touched the whimpering man, curling her lip into a snarl, willing her powers to yank his life force into her own, just as she had did to the Tarkatan. She waited to feel that bizarre quirk, that strange flexing, that miracle, that curse, that transference of power. But as they had before, and anytime she laid her hands on someone, his memories became hers, and his fading memories were of an Edenia stolen from his people, and a wife he'd loved who'd been raped and killed by Shao Kahn's marauders, and children who were dragged off to the cobalt mines as slaves…and as she took this all in, she tried even harder to coax out his energy, but her hands trembled and she faltered. This man, Kenta, was innocent, unlike the Tarkatan she'd killed.
And in that moment, Anya knew. I'm not strong enough, she whispered to herself.
She touched Blue on the shoulder to make it seem real, to make her own heart and mind understand that she couldn't Heal her this time. She stubbornly fought off the realization and added what little power she could siphon from the Edenian into her friend. She immediately plunged into the wolf's life force, the sense of it like fighting against the swell of the ocean, the moment happening quickly, yet not quickly enough to defeat the approaching shadow. It was in the panic she felt for her friend, the urgency even as Blue peacefully resigned herself to her fate, remembering moments that had made her happy, something serene, something inviting.
Trembling, with tears building in her eyes, she bent closer. Tanya's tonfa had left a remarkably large hole through Blue's spine, and blood had welled up from the wound, smearing it in gore, staining the snow white fur red. Because of that wound, the wolf felt nothing throughout her body. She had, Anya noticed, lost all control over her bladder and bowels, and lay in a puddle of her own filth. Furiously, she aimed a jet of water at the puddle and sprayed all the urine and feces away, washing the wolf's body clean to preserve her dignity. It was all that she knew to do to help.
"Anya," Kuai Liang said, his somber voice trailing off.
There were times Anya could recall – good times – as she melded with Blue's memories, silently sobbing. Times when she talked to the wolf about anything and everything, pretending as if she could actually answer her with words, interpreting her head tilts and little yips as if she were fluent in canine. There were snuggles by the roaring fire in the hearth, and camping trips, and lazy days at the beach. Blue loved water, and never missed a chance to jump into a lake or ocean to swim. Sweet, pleasant moments she never would have known but by mere coincidence, by some miracle, that stirred the nurse to act with mercy in that frozen lake all those years ago.
"Anya, it's not working," her husband softly told her, but she didn't listen to him.
Stubbornly, the Hydromancer pushed her healing powers further into Blue, psychically reaching out for that one particular sensation, that one feeling when she could feel her powers working, but sensing nothing. I'm not strong enough, she inwardly moaned again. Her plan…it wasn't working. There was no doubt of this; logically, she knew that when she tried to steal the Edenian's life force, she hadn't been filled with the hate and rage necessary to do so, not like she'd been when the Tarkatan had tried to kill her husband. She'd only felt pity for this man who'd tried to kill them. How could she not feel murderous towards him when her precious friend was dying beside her? Later, she'd have to confront her weakness and the weight of her guilt when there was no escaping them, but now was not the time.
Anya bowed her head onto Blue's snout, cradling her face in her hands, feeling her soft fur worm through her fingers. "Please, Blue," she whispered.
"Miláček…" It was Tomas this time. His voice was gentle, full of the most empathy and understanding of any of them. After all, Blue had chosen him as well; he'd saved them both from the lake that day. That was the day she first told him she was pregnant with Olivia, and he'd consoled her. If she'd bothered to look up at Tomas right now, she'd see him struggling to fight down his own grief-stricken tears as well. But he brought no comfort to her, no semblance of peace like he had then.
The dark shadow was creeping further across Blue's mind, urging the wolf to relax, to go to sleep. Anya mused that neither she nor her friend were afraid. The shadow's call was not frightening, not really. But she still saw it like her enemy.
No, she told it, mentally shielding Blue from its grasping arms. Not yet. I'm not ready.
Curling up with all the kids when they were infants, always watching them like a nanny dog to keep them out of trouble. Bounding through the fresh snow after a storm. Stretching out across the end of the bed at night, irritating Kuai Liang. Falling asleep in her food dish like a lazy puppy. Jumping up on the counters in the kitchens to steal food from the cooks. Letting Sam ride her like a horse. Racing through the Temple like a speed demon for no reason whatsoever. Hiding in the bathtub that one time the boys set off firecrackers in the hallway. Hunting wild turkeys high in the mountains, making them gobble indignantly at her while Anya and the kids laughed so hard they nearly peed themselves. Standing on her haunches against the railing on Anya and Kuai Liang's balcony, howling at the full moon from the bottom of her heart.
Shaking hard from fighting the growing deluge in her heart, Anya wrapped her arms around Blue's massive neck, burying her face in her fur, nuzzling her close. "Oh, Blue…thank you so much for being apart of my life," she whispered into her ear, her voice breaking. "Please, don't leave me."
She'd hoped that her supplication would stir the wolf to fight back, to survive. But the shadow pushed Anya back now, it the more powerful force between the two. Blue's body went lax, and a soft gurgle escaped her mouth. But still, the Hydromancer refused to acknowledge what just happened.
"Sister," Kailyn now spoke. "Blue is…she is…"
"Dead," Kuai Liang finished for her. He crawled closer to her and rested his hand on Anya's shoulder. His wife distractedly shrugged it off.
She ignored them. She returned her attention to the wound in Blue's spine: the tacky fur, the clotted hole seeping spinal fluid, the sensation of emptiness as she reached deep within, trying to find some speck of her friend's soul. Kuai Liang and the other Earthrealm Champions remained silent, motionless, watching Anya as she pushed every shred of her power inside the body, to hell with what it did to her body in the process, fighting for a moment of divine grace which stubbornly refused to come. She just didn't have the strength this time. She'd knitted together broken bones, and delivered healthy babies that should've been stillborn, and revived nearly dead Hydromancers. But this time, she just didn't have the power to chase away death.
When her powers failed her, she resorted to old-fashioned first aid. She'd never administered CPR to an animal before, but she fought to do so now, pounding a fist into Blue's ribcage in between breathing into her lungs. Her heart gave out long before her body did, her arm still beating on her chest out of sheer inertia. With each unsuccessful blow, her frustration overwhelmed her that much more, and it wasn't long before she was sobbing as if pleading for someone to give back her friend. Pain is what eventually forced her to stop, the wound in her own back worse now from using her powers and from the exaggerated motions. Defeated, covered in sweat, she finally rocked back onto her heels, her face tear-stained and soggy.
No one spoke.
I'm not strong enough, she whispered to herself again. She wiped her eyes; her tears had chapped her cheeks and cut tracks through the dirt. I'm so sorry, Blue, she thought. Her head dropped to her chest before she clutched the wolf's paw, squeezing it as if Blue could feel it.
"We need to bury her, Ahn," Kuai Liang finally spoke.
His voice startled her, and she mildly jumped from her reverie. "What are you talking about?" she snapped, irritated that he destroyed the quiet. She scowled at him.
"We have to bury Blue," he said when his blue eyes met hers. "It's only right."
"I know," she said, and the softness with which she spoke shocked her. The pain inside threatened to break loose like something loud and desperate, something like a howl.
She let go of Blue's hand, then, and laid it carefully in the dirt, thinking again of all those wonderful moments she'd shared with the wolf. Hotaru had praised her for her compassion for the wolf. Most people, he'd said, would've gladly let the beast drown rather than save her. Anya closed her eyes and saw the Seidan General boasting of her selflessness and heroism in the face of danger. She was a good servant of Order, he said, and it was lucky that Blue had crossed her path when she did.
More like a curse on her, she hissed at herself.
"We need to dig a grave," she muttered, lost inside a deep fog.
"We'll take care of it," Kenshi declared. He motioned for the others to join him, and soon, only Anya and Kuai Liang remained beside Blue while they went to work.
"Ahn," the Grandmaster said to her. She didn't quite hear him, let alone know what to say in response. "Ahn," he said, a little louder now. This time, he shook her shoulder.
She craned her head around to look at him, and her eyes met his. And then, when she saw their dark blueness, a sad color, the tears finally arrived; she couldn't hold them back another second. She threw herself into his arms and started sobbing, and rivers of salty tears rolled quickly down her cheeks.
MKDemigodZ-Warrior, not this time.
Esha Napoleon, thank you!
Westcoast Witchdoctor, LOL, I find that's an invaluable trait to have as a writer! I wouldn't want you all getting bored on me, now would I? ;) Tanya's definitely the Queen Skank, but Fujin gets his fair share of booty too! But if Mileena makes your skin crawl, then mission accomplished, my friend.
Obelisk of Light, oh, very cool, I'm glad you like it so much. You definitely should have seen Fujin and Tanya having a romp in the hay; I've honestly made him something of a man-whore LOL But I did have to hearken back to Aftermath a bit with him and remind him of Raiden's warning. It's going to be a miracle if now he doesn't go overboard being overprotective of Morgan now. But don't you worry about Tanya. I have some ideas for her ;)
ROCuevas, I hope so!
en-lumine, well, scared is the emotion I was going for, so I succeeded. Yay! But I am so, so sorry for doing that to Blue this chapter. I wanted her to live, I did. But I couldn't. Not if I wanted to stay true to the rules I'd pre-established for Anya's healing abilities. If I violated those, I know people would lose faith and trust in me as a writer. Besides, it ups the ante a little bit. Now both Subby and Olivia have to carry the guilt over her death with them, and Anya's gonna have to work through her anger about that. So, I think I made the right choice. But, here's some fresh-baked brownies to apologize. :(
PinkRedRose2, thank you! I always worry if I'm not doing my villains right. Either they're too bad or not bad enough, I can never find that good balance. So I'm glad you enjoyed my take on our villains this time.
iceangelmkx, I think Anya's will is kind of fading, which is making it easier for her to forget why she's so damn mad at Subby in the first place. Not sure how that's going to go after this chapter, but...
Reptaliator, well, I don't think it was an instance of deus ex machina. If it was, then they'd have defeated everyone in the fight and saved Takeda too. No, they ran when they saw they couldn't win the fight, and they were forced to leave Takeda behind, so I feel like that's a very big difference. And don't forget, Erron's hurt pretty badly, and Olivia's not much better. So they're not out of the woods yet.