Chapter 9: Return, Part 2

Sky Temple

"Has he awoken yet?", Raiden asked with arms cross as he stood beside the seated form of Fujin, who can only sigh in response towards the Thunder God.

"No, Raiden. It has been two weeks and even though his wounds were healed, the dagger took a toll on him and had set him into a coma-like state as Earthrealmers called it.", Fujin sadly remarked as he watched the sleeping form of Kitana beside a bedridden Kuai Liang, with traces of dried tears staining the sheets.

"If we are fortunate enough, we can hope the Blood Magic that we extracted is enough for his mind to remain his own once he wakes up", Raiden said in worry as he also wished this was not another mistake that he would soon regret. "I only hope I did not make the same mistake as I did with Liu Kang and Kung Lao."

Fujin looked at the window around the Sky Temple, with the natural air breezing from him. "I can only wish that were true...", the Wind God said, remembering what has happened those weeks back.

Two Weeks Ago, Outkirsts

The Tarkatan warriors first attacked as Sub-Zero and Kitana went to a defensive stance. Sub-Zero dodged a slash from a Tarkatan before shooting an ice ball on his torso before smashing it, exposing his spine before he sliced it off with a Kori Blade. Sensing a presence from behind, Kuai Liang quickly launched an ice ball towards another Tarkatan where he kicked the frozen body, shattering it to pieces. Seeing more on his left, Sub-Zero frozed the ground as the Tarkatan's feet were frozen along with it before he launched an ice beam towards them, freezing his pursuers as a result.

Kitana beheaded one of the Tarkatans before throwing her fans to two more when they charged towards her. Summoning her fans, she bended down to avoid a Tarkatan wristblade's slash before she flipped-kicked the Tarkatan away and threw her folded fans towards the Tarkatan where she used her Edenian magic to unfold the tessens and slice off the Tarkatan as a result. Few more were approaching her as she twirled to create a gust to push them away from her.

"Enough of this! We will take you ourselves!", Reptile hissed before he charged against Kuai Liang. The Zaterran turned invisible just as he did a quick charge against the Cryomancer before flip-kicking him away. Before Reptile could attack any further, he felt a strong gust colliding against him and he landed on a nearby tree because of it. Kuai Liang groaned as he was helped up by Kitana, who glared at the Zaterran for his attack.

"Are you all right?", she asked the Cryomancer as she helped him get up. Kuai Liang dusted off his vest as he stood tense against their Outworld adversaries.

"I'm fine", Kuai Liang responded. "Go after Baraka, I'll deal with Reptile here", he said as he saw Kitana looking at him for a moment before nodding she went after the Tarkatan General.

"This is for the Kolisseum!", Reptile seethed as he went to a fighting stance against the Cryomancer, whose arms were being encovered with ice.

Without responding, Sub-Zero slidded against Reptile who managed to jump away as he spit a large amount of acid towards him. The Cryomancer countered with an iceball as he charged to Reptile with a Kori Blade in hand. Dodging several swings and slashes, Reptile caught the blade and broke it by gripping it with his hands before slashing the Cryomancer on the torso.

Grunting in pain, Sub-Zero created a other Kori Blade and moved to lunge Reptile on the left side of the chest. Reptile dodged to deliver another claw strike against the Cryomancer but as he did, Kuai Liang substituted himself with an ice clone where the Zaterran froze before Sub-Zero gave a ice-encrusted fist on Reptile's chest, sending him on a nearby tree.

Going on his knees, Kuai Liang applied icy winds on his slashed torso when he saw Reptile getting back up again. Gritting his teeth, he knew his battle will not be an easy one.

Baraka growled as he saw Reptile collide against the tree, but just before he could go after him, he was pushed back by a gust of wind and Kitana jumped in front of him to stop his tracks.

"Ehm pala hey, Baraka!", Kitana taunted as she unfolded her fans and went to a fighting stance. The Tarkatan General growled as he unsheated his wrist blades against her.

"Empty threats, Princess!", Baraka shot back. "The Empress will have have you in one piece or in pieces!".

Without another thought, Baraka lunged towards Kitana who sidestepped out of the way to land a roundhouse kick on his back before throwing her fans at him, where the Tarkatan growled as the fans inflicted slashes on his waist when he attempted to dodge the attack.

Jumping back while groaning in pain, Baraka failed to sense Kitana teleporting behind him where she gave a slash on his back before axe kicking him on the head as she jumped away from him.

As she attempted to slice of Baraka's head, the Tarkatan leader countered her fan with the use of his wrist-blades to which he kneed Kitana on the abdomen.

Sub-Zero, who dodged a claw-strike from Reptile, casted an ice ball towards Baraka who slashed the projectile as it kneed him, giving Kitana time to land a roundhouse kick on him.

She later counter-attacked as she threw her fans once more, to which he knocked out of the way with his wrist blades. Casting several blade sparks, Kitana could only dodge as she could barely keep up with the sparks coming right at her.

Kitana attempted to land a slash on Baraka but the Tarkatan caught her hand while using his left arm's wrist blade to stab her in the abdomen. Coughing out blood beneath her mask, Baraka kicked her away as Reptile appeared behind him and spit a large amount of acid on her.

Closing her eyes, she waited the worse as she hoped that she would not be a slave to Quan Chi once more and that Kuai Liang be safe on his journey without her but a few seconds had passed but the acid hasn't landed on her and she slowly opened her eyes to a sight she was not expecting.

What Kitana saw horrified her the moment she opened her eyes. Kuai Liang stood in front of her, silently seething at the pain of the acid that Reptile spit on him as he struggle to stand on his feet. Looking at her with a struggle as he turned to glance at her, he weakly said. "Run.."

"No...", Kitana weakly stated as she fell to her knees, with tears slowly flowing at her eyes as her companion and friend took the blow for her, Sub-Zero went down with his knees as Kitana was suddenly held from behind when a pair of wrist-blades neared at her neck, and she saw Baraka giving a slight smirk.

"Even at times like this, they look at you as if you are still of loyalty. A fake one that is", he stated as he looked at Sub-Zero who could barely stand on his two feet. "You were an assassin, Sub-Zero. I thought they protect no one but their own skin and of their master."

Kuai Liang's eyes widened as he heard those words. True, he had dedicated his life to the Lin Kuei and that his agendas and that of the Grandmaster's matter the most but of what has happened to him recently, he had realized the values of protecting those he cared about. He looked at the former Princess's eyes as they were on the verge of tears, knowing it was her own fault that led him to what has happened to him now.

A part of him tells him to leave her behind and finish the mission, therefore beginning his quest to overthrow Sektor and restore the Lin Kuei. But another side of him tell him otherwise and to help the woman he viewed as both a companion and a friend. Emotions and attachments were discouraged within the clan and that is when Kuai Liang realized its consequences that brought him emotional pain and regret but would rather brush them aside .

But he had lost so many that he could not even begin where to start.

He had lost the brother whom he had looked up to all these years.

He had lost his best friend who stood always stood beside him.

He had once lost his body and his freewill.

He had once lost his life and became a puppet.

And he had once lost the purpose of living when he was brought back from Quan Chi's clutches.

Now he was at the edge of losing the very person of whom he had left to care about, the only person where he had opened up, the woman who had so many things in common with him and that he wanted to heal the emotional wounds that had been inflicted on her.

He wanted to fight for her sake, no he wanted to protect her. After knowing all that she had went through, he had swore to not let it happen again and that he would help her start over in her second chance in life.

"No, you don't get it do you?", Kuai Liang seethed as he clutched his wounds around his chest before pulling out the Kamidogu Dagger from a sheath, which earned him a horrifying expression from Kitana. "There is nothing that I don't protect!", he shouted while dragging his scar with the dagger while grunting in anger on this self-inflicted pain.

Within moments, Kuai Liang's eyes turned red and a red aura begins to surround him as the Blood Magik begins to consume his body. He let out a loud grunt as its power began to augment to his body and within moments, the area around him began to encase with ice.

Baraka and Reptile stood tense as they observed the Cryomancer in front of them with caution and a tiny fragment of fear, as they had been informed by Mileena to what the dagger is capable off. With his eyes giving red glare at the group, ice slowly encased his greaves as the area around him also froze.

"Kill him!", Baraka ordered as several Tarkatan warriors charged towards the Cryomancer, who gave a dark smile as they approached him.

Kuai Liang dodged a slash from a Tarktan before freezing his elbow then smashing it, severing it from its body before he used its armblade to impale the Tarkatan through the mouth before he froze another Tarkatan to rip his spine out to which he froze another and use the said object to smash the frozen body.

Growling while letting go of the Princess, who could only watch in fright of what is happening to his companion, both Barwka and Reptile charged at him but Sub-Zero quickly skidded between them and gripped her heads. Giving them a powerful head bash with one another, Sub-Zero grabbed Baraka where he used an ice dagger to stab the Tarkatan multiple times on the chest before shoving the said weapon inches near his heart before kicking him away.

Reptile snarled as he attempted to cut Kuai Liang using his clawa but the Cryomancer bendes down where he kneed Reptile in the abdomen before elbowing him in the back. Forming an ice hammer, Kuai Liang smashed the said weapon on the Zaterran's back that nearly broke his spine.

As Kuai Liang moved to finish off the two Outworld enforcers when he formed a Kori blade, he felt two arms circling at his waist behind him, and it was his companion who looked at him with pleading eyes and his rage began to weaken at that point.

"Kuai, this isn't you.", she pleaded, her arms holding the Cryomancer tight. "You were more than this, you are not a murderer. You don't need to have a cold heart. Come back, I'm begging you!"

Kuai Liang heard the voice that called to him, it was her. The woman he had swore to protect as she held him close. She knew what she was saying. What he had done was not of his own but something more. Moreover, he was afraid of what he could have done of his rage managed to hurt her, that could even put Scorpion to shame.

Before the Cryomancer could register what has happened, he felt a finger poked at his forehead and he went unconcious as he fell to the ground with the dagger coming out of his pouch. Kitana turned to see a white-haired man to whom she recognized back at the Sky Temple.

"Lord Fujin?", she inquired as she held Kuai Liang's unconcious form. The Wind God looked worried as he searched for a pulse on the Cryomancer's arm. Thankfully he was okay but he knew he had to be brought to the Sky Temple in order to extract the Blood Magic still lingering in his system.

"Thank the Winds, he is all right.", Fujin remarked as Kitana sighed in relief but her worries will never leave her as long as she could not see the Cryomancer's saphire-like orbs with her brown ones. She turned to look at the Outworld forces sent after then but all that was left were Tarkatan corpses and no sigh of either Baraka or Reptile, indicating that he had escaped.

"Come, we must return to the Temple so we can clear him of the magic that nearly consumed him. Lord Raiden will not like this outcome", Fujin said as she saw Kitana nod and the three disappeared from view.

AN:Heya! It's been months since the last chapter eh? Been busy nowadays now I've found the drive to continue this fic! So expect updates this month, Spectre, signing off!