Chapter Thirty-Six

Unknown Area

Sitting in this throne room in the early morning hours, Shao Kahn thought things over. For one thing, today began round four of the tournament, twenty-four days after the fighters' arrival in Outworld. With more fighters being eliminated, it wouldn't be long before they reached the final round of the tournament.

The developing army was growing by the minute as some of the most skilled warriors accepted his offer. Those who denied, however, were captured and placed in the dungeon, never to leave the place alive.

Actually, it would seem that, at this point, less and less fighters were being captured and placed in the dungeon. As of now, if he was correct, there were only three prisoners down there. That number included Paul Phoenix, who had so far lasted the longest and still was surviving.

Shao Kahn also thought about the world of Edenia and how he was the ruler of that realm so long ago. He had managed to kill their king, Jerrod, and took his Queen, Sindel, as his own bride, also taking in Princess Kitana as his stepdaughter. He could never forget the satisfaction he got from taking over the royal family and their world for his own personal gain. When the Queen committed suicide in order to protect the realm of Earth from the same devastation as Edenia, it still didn't stop the Emperor from having her resurrected thousands of years later.

Sindel, of course, was eventually freed by Kitana, who reminded her of her true past. To add insult to injury, he was never able to completely merge Earthrealm, all because of Raiden's meddling chosen ones at the time.

It was then, coincidentally, that one of his minions, Mileena, came into the throne room. She was the clone of Kitana, a living being made from both Kitana's blood and a tarkatan's blood (it was Shang Tsung's doing. Why he used a tarkatan's blood to begin with was a bit of a mystery). Since he once considered Kitana his daughter, he had always considered Mileena the same, but one he favored more, obviously because she was much more loyal.

Going down the walkway, Mileena approached the Emperor. She stopped a few feet from the throne before bending down to her knees and bowing her head down in respect.

"Father," Mileena said. She was the only one of the generals who can get away with not calling him 'Emperor' or 'lord' in greeting. "I came to inform you that we were forced to kill one of the prisoners, the one named Brent Archer. He was trying to escape the dungeon and we had no other options."

Shao Kahn nodded. "It's no surprise. No matter. Since I'm in a descent mood, I have an assignment for you."

Mileena stood herself up as she awaited orders.

"Though you failed the first time to take down the royal family of Edenia, I will give you a second chance. However, there will be a bit of a change. I want you to bring Princess Kitana to me, preferably alive. With her in my possession, I want to prove my superiority for when our plans take fold."

Mileena nodded as she understood his reasons. "I gladly accept the task. I will not fail you this time."

"Good," Shao Kahn said. "Now leave at once."

Mileena bowed to him before taking her leave.

Palace Grounds

Walking back to the cave from lunch, Yun and Yang were passing through the palace grounds. "That was a good lunch," said Yang.

"Tell me about it," agreed Yun. "Hopefully Yin doesn't get mad that we skipped out on the lunch she made today."

"Something tells me she'll find out anyway," Yang sighed.

Then Yun changed the subject. "So you and Maki, eh?"

Yang found himself smirking a bit upon hearing his new girlfriend's name. "Yeah, I didn't think she'd like me back, but she did after all."

Yun grinned mischievously. "So, did you like… eh, do anything yet?"

"Yun, that's none of your business! And besides, we haven't even been together a week!"

"Yeah, but-" Yun began to say. It was at that moment that he spotted Anna walking not too far from them. The young woman wore a simple shoulder less red dress with plain dark brown stockings, red elbow-length gloves, and red high-heeled shoes.

It occurred to Yun that he hadn't seen Anna since their match during the second round of the tournament, the very match he lost. Because it's been some time since, he realized that it could be a while before he saw Anna again. He just had to talk to her right this second while he had the chance.

"Hey Yang," Yun said. "You go on ahead. I just remembered something kind of important I have to take care of."

Yang raised an eyebrow at his brother suspiciously. "And what is this 'kind of important' thing you have to take care of?"

"Don't worry about it now," Yun said as he tried his best to convince Yang. "We'll talk about it when I come back."

Though still suspicious, Yang decided to just let Yun do what he wanted. "Just be back soon," he said. He then took his leave.

Walking the opposite direction very slowly, Yun waited until his brother was far enough from the grounds. Yun turned to where he last saw Anna. Lucky for him, she was now sitting on one of the wooden benches near the fountain. It was now or never.

The young man approached Anna and sat himself down. "Nice day, isn't it?" he asked.

Anna hadn't noticed Yun sitting next to her until he spoke. She turned her head to him and smiled upon seeing him. "Well, I haven't seen you around since I beat you in the tournament," she said.

Yun sighed a little, sort of wishing that she remembered him for another reason. "Yeah, it's been a while. How have you been?"

"Oh, just fine," Anna said seductively. From there, she decided to have a bit of fun. She had nothing to do today anyway. "Are you waiting for your girlfriend?" she asked.

Yun smiled a little. "Um, actually, I'm not seeing anybody right now."

Anna pouted her lips a little. "Oh that's too bad. I'm surprised that a handsome man like you is single."

Upon hearing 'handsome' Yun suddenly felt his cheeks burn red. She definitely knew how to flatter a guy.

Anna continued. "So, how old are you?"

"Twenty," Yun replied.

"Oh good, just four years younger."

She then got up and stood in front of Yun. Slowly, she took his blue and yellow hat in her hands before placing it on her own head. Yun couldn't help but look up at Anna in adoration.

"I'm going to be having dinner here at around seven o'clock," Anna mentioned. "Why don't you come… pay me a visit around eight o'clock? I'm in room two seventy-four on the second floor."

Yun managed to snap out of it enough to speak. "Sure, I'll be there eight o'clock sharp."

Anna smiled seductively as she lightly brushed her fingers on his cheek. "Good. I'll see you then." Then she turned on her heel and walked away from Yun and towards the palace.

Yun watched her walk away until the crowd blocked his view. He looked down at his watch… he had seven hours to kill. Yang was expecting him to return soon to tell him of the 'important' thing he had to do. Yun made a decision then… it was best that he avoided the cave for the remainder of the day.

Cave Grounds

After starting up the campfire, Raven sat down in front of it. Despite still being the middle of the day, the air seemed to get a bit cold. Besides the blankets that were provided for him, this was the only other way to get warm. Sitting in front of the campfire was more relaxing anyway.

Since coming to the cave, there hasn't been much progress in his or Special Forces' mission. At least Raven wasn't the only one having trouble. He still wasn't into the idea of working with other people, but if it meant getting through his mission quickly, then he might as well go along with it.

While sitting in front of the campfire, Raven spotted Nina Williams approaching the cave that was behind him. She was the assassin he had heard of plenty of times, and a ruthless one at that. Of all places, he never expected her to end up in a place like this.

Having nothing else to do, once Nina was beginning to past him, Raven spoke. "What's your purpose for being here?" he asked.

Nina stopped herself upon hearing his voice. Without turning her head, she replied. "I'm after someone. What about you?"

Raven paused before answering. He normally didn't talk about his missions. However, with little leads, he might as well mention something about it. Besides, if she knew anything, it was worth a try.

"Let's just say it's about Shang Tsung," he said.

"Hmph," Nina said as she slightly turned her head to him. She didn't know why, but she suddenly had the intentions to tell him her name, whether he knew it or now. "I'm Nina. Those who know my name usually don't live… however, I've been letting that slide for over the past three weeks."

Raven turned his head to her as well. "That's usually the way it is for me as well. I'm Raven."

A small smirk came over Nina's face. "Hmph. As they say… quote the Raven, nevermore."

With that, she turned her head forward and began walking back towards the cave.

Forest Area, Near The Cave

Despite losing the tournament, Sakura trained herself as she did everyday. With the twin tails of her white headband swaying in the light wind, she punched and kicked in the air, letting out a few battle cries during the process.

Aside from school on occasion (in which she graduated from just a few weeks before the tournament) and her friends, she was very dedicated to fighting. For three years, it was nearly all she thought about. Ever since watching her idol Ryu in a tournament, she wished to be like him and she was able to teach herself to fight, learning much quicker than most self-taught fighters. Her ultimate wish was to be trained by Ryu himself.

Though the two of them had talked a couple of times since arriving in Outworld, Ryu still insisted that he was still in need to train himself before he took on any student, though he admired her fighting spirit. Though Sakura had accepted this, a part of her was a bit disappointed. She admitted to having a bit of a crush on him when she first met him. She grew out of it since… or hast she? She wasn't sure, really. Once in a while, she found herself in conflict some times.

Either way, she made the decision not to pursue anything. Sakura knew that her friend Mika liked being around him and had the idea that she may have a liking to him, even if she didn't admit it.

I guess it may be for the best, Sakura thought.

While Sakura continued to train, she didn't notice Jin walking back. Returning from his own training, Jin spotted Sakura. He stopped for a moment and watched her train out of curiosity. She wasn't necessarily in full concentration as she should be, but he saw that she indeed had the dedication, which was impressive enough.

Jin saw her make a few mistakes during her training. Once he did, he decided to approach her.

Sakura didn't notice him coming until he spoke. "Try keeping you elbow less bent when making that uppercut," he said.

Sakura stopped herself and turned her head to him, his voice nearly surprising her. Jin walked over to her and stopped just a few feet. He then did his over uppercut in the air. "See how my arm is more like an L-shaped?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. She then tried the uppercut herself. "Like this?"

Jin nodded. "Just keep your fist facing up and you should be good."

Sakura smiled. Though she only knew him from around the cave, including their first day here when she accidentally bumped into him, she nearly forgot how good-looking he was. As a matter of fact, he looked better up close.

"I saw you training yesterday with Ryu," Sakura mentioned. "You're a really good fighter."

Jin nodded. "Thank you. Speaking of Ryu, I noticed that you have a similar fighting style as him. Has he ever trained you?"

Sakura shook her head a little. "It's funny, really. I've seen Ryu fight in other tournaments and I've actually mimicked his moves along with my own style. Unfortunately, I've never actually trained with him. He's told me that he was still learning himself."

"I see," Jin said. "Perhaps he just feels that he's not ready to take on a student until he's learned enough to be confident in becoming a sensei."

"I figured as much." Sakura shrugged. "It might be for the best, I guess. Let's just say that I used to have a teeny bit of a crush on him."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen. I know, he's much older than me and I realize that now." She smiled at Jin. "I'm better off with a younger guy anyway."

"I'm sure there are plenty of guys your age around here."

Sakura's smile seemed to grow a bit wider. "I'm sure that won't be a problem."

Jin sighed to himself in his mind. I hope I didn't give her any ideas…

"I should get going," Jin said. "If you need any pointers, let me know. I'll see you around."

"Bye Jin," Sakura replied.

With that, Jin began walking away. Sakura couldn't help but stare at him. Looks like I found myself a new fighting idol to admire!

Once Jin disappeared behind the trees, Sakura continued with her training.

Forest Area, Near The Palace

Keeping herself hidden behind the trees, Mileena walked slowly through the forest. Her intentions were to head towards the palace to infiltrat the room of Princess Kitana. She would take her down and bring her to Shao Kahn as ordered.

Obviously, this type of assignment was one that Mileena had hoped for more than anything. The sole reason that she was created was so that if any hostilities occurred with the Edenian Princess, especially if she ever found out her true past, then Mileena would be there to take her place, making it as though Kitana was never dead to begin with.

Because of that, Mileena believed that she was the rightful heir to the Edenian throne. Her fondest wish was simply to kill Kitana and claim her existence as her own.

Over the years, Shao Kahn seemed to favor Kitana back when she was working as an assassin for him. Mileena developed a bitter hatred for her, obviously because she was jealous of the Princess. When it was discovered that Kitana was making plans to overthrow Shao Kahn with the Earthrealm warriors, Mileena confronted her, but it would only prove that Kitana was the better fighter and she killed her. This gave Mileena more reasons to despise her.

Mileena was sent to the Netherrealm, but it wouldn't be for long. The fallen Elder God Shinnok brought her back from the dead and only briefly did she work for him in return for resurrecting her. Since Shinnok's banishment, she had since returned to serving Shao Kahn.

Since this tournament began, things haven't exactly been going her way, aside from her secret relationship with the Tarkata Militia's General, Baraka. For one thing, her first mission to attack the Edenian royals was a failure. She made the mistake of attacking a handful of fighters as target practice and the last one nearly wounded her. Weakened by these fights, she had no choice but to return to the Emperor empty-handed.

To add insult to injury, Mileena ended up being defeated by Queen Sindel during the second round to the tournament. It gave even more reasons for her to hate the Edenian royals.

She considered herself lucky when Shao Kahn offered her to hunt down Kitana and bring her back to him alive. It was another chance to prove herself to the Emperor. This time, she would not fail.

As she continued walking through the shadows of the forest, Mileena suddenly spotted a female figure not too far from her. Keeping herself in the shadows, Mileena stood where she was. She was able to get a better look this time and was delighted upon recognizing the figure.

It was Kitana, no doubt. What really gave it away was the fact that she was holding a pair of blue fan blades, both which were closed up. The Princess was heading in the direction where the main palace was and Mileena guessed that she was returning after some training.

This couldn't get any better! Mileena thought in delight. It looks like I could get this mission going without any witnesses around.

Quietly, Mileena began making her approach from behind. As she did, Kitana seemed to walk normally. She was indeed unaware of Mileena's presence behind her. Once she was close enough, Mileena jumped up, her two sais raised and ready to attack.

Kitana was able to hear Mileena jump. Not too stealthy, are we? she thought. Quickly she turned around just in time to block Mileena's attack with her fans. Kitana was a bit surprised that it was Mileena who was the attacker. However, since her mother fought her in the tournament, she had nearly expected for this to happen.

The Princess narrowed her brown eyes at her. "Even if you defeat me, my allies will come after you."

Immediately, Mileena pulled back, a sadistic laugh escaping her throat. The pink and black-clad woman snapped her fingers. Quickly, a group of male tarkatans emerged from the shadows, a little backup she had courtesy of Baraka. Kitana widened her eyes in surprise and Mileena looked at her with satisfaction.

Mileena narrowed her eyes at the Princess. "I have allies too, bitch!" She then pointed at Kitana. "ATTACK HER!"

With rage, the Tarkatans lashed out their blades from their arms before jumping forward to attack the Princess. Kitana quickly opened up her fans just before the tarkatans were in reach of her.

For some time, Kitana fought the tarkatans as Mileena watched from where she stood. It took little effort for the Princess to take down each mutant, slicing them up and killing then with her fans, leaving trails of blood all around the area. However, it seemed that the more tarkatans she killed, the more they were growing in numbers.

Where are they all coming from? she wondered.

She fought for some time before a tarkatan kicked her to the ground. Thankfully, Kitana still held on to her fans after landing on the ground on her back. One tarkatan stood over her. He lifted up his blades as he got ready to strike down. Kitana, keeping her hands firmly around the hilt of her fans, prepared for the tarkatan's next attack.

However, before the tarkatan was able to make his move, a large blade lashed out and sliced right through him. Kitana quickly backed away just before his upper torso disconnected from the rest of his body, falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Kitana looked over at who was behind the sword. She was quite surprised upon recognizing the person.

"Siegfried!" she called out.

Before he could answer, Siegfried swung his sword in a three quarter circle, knocking a handful of tarkatans back, killing them all instantly. Once he got that out of the way, he turned his head to the Princess. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Kitana took down another tarkatan before answering. "I'm fine now."

Together they finished off the remaining tarkatans, leaving no one alive. Once they finished, the only other person there was Mileena.

"No, NO!" she screamed out. "I failed again! Father won't be pleased!" She pointed a finger at Kitana. "You may have won this, but next time, you won't be so lucky!"

Quickly, she disappeared amongst the trees. Kitana ran a few steps forward in an attempt to pursue Mileena. However, after a moment, she realized that she lost track of her.

"Damn it…" she muttered under her breath, frustrated that Mileena had managed to escape. "Why couldn't she have just stayed dead…"

Kitana then heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw that Siegfried was approaching her, his large bloody sword in hand.

"What was that about?" he asked.

Kitana sighed to herself. "Her name's Mileena…you could say that we've been feuding for…quite some time." She then looked at him, completely turning around. "What happened to you? I haven't seen you in days, ever since you ran off-"

"I apologize," Siegfried cut in. "It's a long story. Honestly, I prefer not to bring it up at this time. Come on, I'll escort you back to the palace."

Kitana nodded. "Thank you."

With that, the two headed back towards the main palace.

Main Palace

Eight o'clock finally rolled around. During the whole afternoon, Yun Lee waited anxiously for the clock to finally strike eight. He trained himself mostly and went to dinner by himself. Other than that, when he got bored of training, he sat around at the palace grounds, having nothing else to do. He had refused to return to the cave this entire time, not wanting to be bombarded with questions from his siblings.

About a half hour before, he decided that he should at least get one small gift for Anna. Unsure of what else to give her, he picked some Outworld wildflowers for her, most of them a mix of lavender, blue, and pink pedals all held up by a dark purple stem.

Soon, eight o'clock rolled around. Yun even waited an extra minute, that way he didn't seem like he was in too much of a hurry to see Anna.

Once that one minute past, he got from the bench and proceeded inside the palace. He forgot how nice it was on the inside, all filled with golden items, mainly statues, and fresh green plants brightened things up all around. Not too many people were going about in the main hall at the moment.

He went up the main staircase, which was covered by a long dark red carpet. Yun was now on the first floor of the palace, having gone up from the ground floor. He went down a hall again before he found another set of stairs. He up those as well. From there, he began to look for room two seventy-four.

It only took Yun a minute before he found the room. He stared at the door for a moment. Blaming the jitters, he then wondered if Anna even remembered that she had invited him here. He would have to take his chance.

Yun reached his hand up and knocked on the door. "Door's open!" a female voice called out. Yun took a deep breath before opening the door. Once he was completely inside, he closed the door behind him.

Yun hadn't bothered to notice his surroundings. Near the back of the large room, Anna stood facing the window. She still wore the same dress that she did this morning, but her stockings had changed. Rather than just the plain dark brown ones, they now had various black decorations on them.

Anna turned around moments after the door closed to face Yun. Surprising to Yun, she was still wearing his blue and yellow cap (though he knew that she must've put it on just before his arrival, he wanted to think that she wore it all day after their afternoon meeting).

"Good evening, Mr. Lee," Anna said as she walked over to him. She slowly took the cap off her head before spinning it around with her finger. After a couple of spins, she caught the cap before it escaped her grasps. When she was close enough to Yun, Anna placed the cap back on his head. Though she put the hat on the wrong way, Yun didn't care. He only cared about what was happening at this very moment.

Anna looked down at his hands and noticed the wildflowers. "Are those for me? That's so sweet of you." She took the flowers in her hands and took in their scent for a moment. "Now… why don't you go sit on the bed."

"All right," replied Yun. He walked over to the bed filled with golden sheets and sat down. Anna placed the wildflowers on the nightstand before looking down at Yun. A seductive look came over her face before she placed her hands on his shoulders. Upon her touch, a chill ran up Yun's spine.

"You know," Anna said in a low voice. "It's been a while since I've met such a nice young man like yourself."

She then slowly placed herself on his lap. Instinctively, Yun wrapped his arms around her waist, completely lost for words. He never expected for her to act like this.

Anna brought her face closer to his. "Would you mind keeping me company this evening?" she asked as her blue eyes seemed to glitter.

Still lost for words, Yun was only able to nod his head. Anna smiled as she placed a hand on his face. "You seem quiet tonight. That's so cute."

With that, Anna claimed her lips with Yun's. It was light at first, but before Yun knew it, he found himself lost in a deep kiss. A minute past before Anna let out a soft moan as she slowly pushed him back on the bed. Their kisses became more intense from there and soon their found their tongues dueling with on another.

Throughout the rest of the evening, Yun found himself going much further than he had expected.

Underground Lair

Sliding forward, the Cleric of Chaos Havik attempted to trip his opponent, Maxi. Maxi saw the move coming and he jumped up, flipping over Havik in the mean time before landing on the ground a few feet behind him. The fight itself, the second one of the evening in the Underground Lair, only began over a minute ago, but the two fighters were only just warming up.

Ever since the second round of the tournament, Maxi's always joked that, with his luck, he would eventually fight a freaky-looking person. Upon seeing that Havik's mouth area only consisted of part of his skull, that day finally came.

"Come on freak!" Maxi called out to him as he raised his nunchakus in front of him.

Through his eyes, Havik seemed to grin at him. "That was such a nice compliment. Did I mention that you have funky hair?"

Not the hair jokes again, Maxi thought with a sigh.

Quickly, Maxi jumped forward. After his kicks were blocked by Havik, he lashed out his weapon and managed to hit him twice over the head before spinning them rapidly, causing Havik to rear back. The weapon continued spinning for another second before it came to a complete stop.

Havik quickly covered the distance between them. They exchanged some combos again for a minute. Then Maxi got himself in a handstand and placed his nunchaku on his left foot before spinning it rapidly at Havik, who was once again hit multiple times before stepping back. Maxi knew he was going to be asked about this move later on, as it's physically impossible to do this move. However, it was a little secret technique that he was never going to reveal.

"That was fun," Havik said. He then placed his hands on his face and quickly broke his neck. Maxi looked at him in surprise just as Havik got his neck back in it's normal place. "Sorry, I had a kink in my neck."

Ignoring his comments, Maxi lashed out at Havik once again. They traded blow after blow, each one either on offense or blocking themselves from their opponent's move. Afterwards, Maxi pulled back before charging electricity in his weapon from around him. He then performed an overhead throw in an attempt to smack Havik down to the ground before doing an uppercut. However, Havik saw the move in time and jumped out of the way before he was hit.

While Maxi got himself straightened out after performing a move, Havik quickly crouched down, bending his knees backwards as two snapping noises were heard. Most of the viewers cringed in agony upon hearing the cracks. At the same time, a blue projectile shot out of Havik's fists.

Maxi managed to jump over the projectile, going towards Havik. He attempted to swing down his nunchaku at Havik's head, but the Chaosrealm native once again moved out of the way.

Once he did, Havik grabbed on to Maxi's arm. He then lifted his foot and managed to kick the back of Maxi's knee. Sheer pain went through Maxi's leg and he was forced to fall on his knees. Then Havik lifted up the same leg and knocked him in the chest, forcing Maxi to fall back on the ground.

After performing the move, Havik stepped back to give Maxi a chance to get himself back up. He only waited five seconds before he grew impatient. He lifted up his foot again and kicked Maxi in the back of the head with it. The Keisei native was only able to get up on his knees. When he was hit, he fell forward and was rendered unconscious.

Sitting up from his throne, Shang Tsung announced Havik as the winner of the match. Havik watched with delight as Maxi's friends ran over to see if he was all right. Not long after, they get him out of the ring.

"May Chaos break the rules that bind!" Havik called out before leaving the ring.

A few more matches went on. Afterward, Shang Tsung called upon Heihachi Mishima to face the ninja spectre Scorpion in the next match. In the ring, the older man didn't seem fazed by Scorpion's appearance and was rather unimpressed. Indeed it was going to be an interesting match. Soon, the two of them got themselves in their fighting stances, prepared for battle.

"Begin!" the sorcerer called out.

Neither one of them hesitated as they covered the few feet of space between each other. They fought hand to hand for about forty seconds before Heihachi pulled himself back from Scorpion in order to give himself a bit of space. When he did, Scorpion shot out a fireball in which Heihachi quickly ducked under.

Heihachi then ran forward and managed to land two punches on Scorpion. He then followed up with a third punch, this time with blue electricity surrounding his hand. This gave the old man more power in the punch and he managed to knock Scorpion back a few feet.

Scorpion managed to stay on his feet despite that. Quickly, he charged up some flames in his hands before dashing forward towards his opponent. The ninja spectre managed to land a double punch on Heihachi, causing him to stumble back as well. When he stopped, Heihachi quickly shook his head before bringing his fist up and letting out a small growl.

Heihachi waited until Scorpion covered the distance between them again. They exchanged some blows before he managed to grab Scorpion. He turned him upside down before performing a power bomb on him. Heihachi then got himself back on his feet and Scorpion followed a couple of seconds later after rolling back.

This time, it was Heihachi who went after Scorpion. Once again, the two exchanged some combos. Then, Heihachi jumped up and performed a double side kick in the air, which connected.

Scorpion reared back again. When he stopped, he lashed out his hand and a rope connected to a spear came flying out.

"COME HERE!" he called out. Heihachi made no attempt to move and when the spear was close enough, Heihachi lifted one arm in front of him and the spear smacked against his thick, metal wristband, causing the spear to go off course.

Scorpion seemed to raise and eyebrow as he pulled his spear back into his hand. Once he did, he took the same hand and pulled his mask off. This nearly caught his older opponent by surprise as Scorpion possessed a full skull rather than a normal human head.

Seems like we have something in common after all, thought Heihachi. Heh, we're both 'demons.'

Then, Scorpion opened his mouth and leaned forward. A long line of fire came out of his mouth and Heihachi jumped out of the way just before it hit him. He kept his distance until the fire completely dispersed.

Before Scorpion had the chance to place his mask back over his skull, Heihachi managed to reach him and performed two punches before slightly ducking down and performing an uppercut. The uppercut sent Scorpion flying a few feet up. When he began to come back down, Heihachi brought one foot forward, bent his knees, and performed a punch with his arm full of electricity once again. The move once again sent Scorpion flying back a few feet.

Scorpion slid a few feet on the floor and Heihachi gave him a moment to get back on his feet. Once he did, Heihachi ran over to him again. However, he wasn't prepared for what was about to come.

The ninja spectre waited until Heihachi was close enough. When he was, he performed a flip kick, flames forming around his feet and leaving a small trail as he moved. The move caused Heihachi to fly back and it wasn't until he landed that he realized that he had flown right out of the ring.

Scorpion landed back on his feet as Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Scorpion!"

Upon hearing that, Heihachi stood up. He was obviously enraged by his loss. "You'll get yours in due time!" he called out as Scorpion left the ring from the opposite side. Then, he pushed anyone he believed was in his way as he began to take his leave.

Watching from the balcony above, Shao Kahn looked over at Heihachi until he was completely out of his view. He knew that this was the man who encountered both Ivy and Baraka previously. It was Ivy who told him about this man and it was Baraka who went out to test his skills. Though Heihachi lost the tournament altogether, Shao Kahn was pleased to know that what Baraka said about him was indeed true… he was a very strong fighter.

"He's indeed worthy to be part of my army," the Emperor muttered.