Chapter 7: Bonding and Konstruction

AN: It'll take some time before Sub-Zero can finish the Coliseum. In the meantime, enjoy some fluff!

Outworld, Edenian Caves

Izuku was busy rewinding footage from Shang Tsung's fight with Liu Kang, trying to occupy himself with something to do. He glanced down at his notes.

Shang Tsung - Sorcerer in Command (Outworld Fighter)

The right hand man of Shao Khan. Despite having faile Shao Khan before, Shang Tsung's position seems to be as strong as ever. A strong fighter in his own right.

Strengths/Abilities

Sorcery - Extremely tricky. I have no idea what other spells he can pull out from his metaphorical hat.

Flaming Skulls

Teleportation

Shapeshifting (Perhaps most dangerous ability. Can use abilities and moves of the person he's shapeshifted into)

Fighter: Rumors say that Shang Tsung used to be the Champion of Earthrealm long ago. All these millennia later, Shang Tsung's skills haven't degreaded yet. Evidenced by his fight with Liu Kang

Seems to favor the Snake and Crane Fighting Style of Martial Arts

Cunning/Intelligence: Shang Tsung favors using traps and trickery over an actual fight. Me and the others would be dead ten times over if we weren't warned ahead of time about his schemes.

Weaknesses

Human: For all his magic, Shang Tsung's as durable as any other human.

Arrogance/Ego: Same problem with a lot of other villains. Doesn't believe anyone can truly hurt him until they do.

Weakened Role: It's easy to see how fragile Shang Tsung's position in Khan's service is, considering how much he's bending over backwards to please the Emperor, if what Mileena's telling me is true. If I can cause Shang Tsung to fuck up badly enough, Khan may as well take care of Shang Tsung for me.

Recommended Equipment

Flashbangs, sedatives, hallucinogens. Not sure what else to bring, considering Shang Tsung's shapeshifting abilities

Recommended Tactics/Actions

Blind eyes

Concuss

Grapple

Suddenly, Izuku heard the sound of books hitting the ground behind him. He turned around, only to see Mileena.

"Hey! Didn't see you there!" Izuku exclaimed. He closed the notebook and turned his chair around. "So, what's up?"

Mileena looked at Izuku, confused. "Uhm… the ceiling?" she replied.

Izuku chuckled. "No, no...forget it. It's just an expression where I come from. What I meant was, what're you doing?"

"Oh." Mileena said, a look of understanding crossing her features. She shook her head. "I wanted to show you something. I just found it today."

Izuku got up from his seat, the chair scraping against the floor of the library. "Alright, then. I'm interested in what you've found."

Mileena smiled, before grabbing Izuku's hand. Izuku, too shocked to protest what was happening, ended up being dragged by Mileena to the spot she'd wanted to show him. Greeting Izuku's vision was a small oasis, full of crystals and water. The oasis was illuminated by the glow of the water and various crystals that shined in the cave.

Izuku found his breath taken away. In all his life, he'd never seen a sight like this. It seemed like something straight out of a dream. The sensation of Mileena's fingers entwined with his own, however, proved that wrong. Izuku's cheeks started to feel a small bit of heat creep into them. Izuku found himself involuntarily turning towards the woman who was holding his hand.

He'd never really paid attention to his friend's appearance that much before, but suddenly, Izuku was unable to tear his eyes away from her. The glow of the crystals and the water perfectly framed her face, highlighting her orange eyes and her red lips.

Mileena was busy admiring the sight of the oasis. "It's beautiful, isn't it, Izuku?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is." Izuku replied, quietly, his eyes still focused on the woman next to him. Mileena turned to face him with a smile, only to suddenly realize what she held in her hands. Her eyes widened in shock, before she pulled away.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I-I probably shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

Izuku smiled, turning to the oasis. "I didn't mind it, to be honest.". He sat down close to the water. Mileena hung back for a few moments, unsure of what to do, before sitting next to him.

P.O.V Switch - Mileena

"How'd you even find this place?" Izuku asked.

Mileena shrugged. "I took a walk around the caves, trying to clear my head. I stumbled upon this oasis by accident.". Between her many duties she'd found herself taking, some time to herself was sorely needed.

Izuku nodded. He then started to take off his jacket, vest, and various other articles of clothing. Mileena looked away quickly, her face heating up. "W-what're you doing?" she whispered, mortified.

Izuku laughed. "I've only been able to enjoy a 5 minute cold shower the past few days, Mileena! I think it's time I indulged myself a little!"

And with that statement, Izuku jumped into the water, unleashing a rather large splash. Izuku stayed underneath the water for a minute, before resurfacing. Mileena hid her face behind her hands for a few seconds, before sparing a peek between her fingers.

Izuku had shed most of his clothes, clad in only a pair of green boxers. His chest and arms, usually covered by his gear, were now exposed, showing off a few scars and the heavy work Izuku had put into becoming a vigilante. Water dripped from Izuku's body, bringing Mileena's attention to his abs.

Mileena's cheeks burned, as she turned away from the sight. Izuku chuckled. "You know, you could join me, right? The water feels fantastic!"

Mileena shook her head. "I'm...uh...perfectly fine where I am, thank you very much!" she exclaimed. She turned to look back at Izuku, only to realize that he had disappeared.

"Izuku?" She called out. She walked further up to the water. "Izuku? What are you doing?"

Mileena looked downwards, only to be greeted by the sight of Izuku hanging on the rock wall. She barely had any time to comprehend the sight in front of her, before Izuku grabbed her leg and made her fall into the water. Mileena shrieked, before falling into the water.

After spending a few seconds submerged in the water, Mileena resurfaced, looking absolutely pissed. "Izuku..." She growled, looking at her friend with a heated glare. Izuku froze, turning to her.

"Ok, before you get mad-' Mileena chose that moment to use both of her hands to throw an absolutely massive wave of water at Izuku, causing him to sputter and cough. Mileena giggled at the sight of the vigilante being brought down a notch. Izuku stared at her for a few moments, before shaking his head. "You asked for it!" he exclaimed, before tossing a wave back. Mileena countered with her own wave of water, cancelling the two attacks.

The duo proceeded to get heavily invested in their water duel for a while, before slowly getting out of the water. Izuku and Mileena panted in exhaustion, tired from the lengths they had gone to to try and outmatch each other with every wave of water. Izuku turned to Mileena with a smile adorning his face "So, how was that for taking your mind off things?"

Mileena chuckled. "Not bad. For a human."

The two lied there for a few more minutes, not entirely eager to depart each other's company.

P.O.V Switch - Sub-Zero

Kuai Liang sighed. The past few days had been rather exhausting, trying to use his powers to supply an entire village with water. In the end, however, it had worked, and the Tarkatan had been busy getting the food necessary for the villagers. The end result had been a motivated workforce that was more willing to complete the Coliseum, for their own sakes if nothing else. The Tarkatan laid back in some kind of chair in his tent, looking as exhausted as Kuai Liang did.

"Khan take me, I'm fucking exhausted. Do you have any idea how stubborn a Tarkatan butcher is?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me, anyways." Kuai Liang replied. The Tarkatan scowled. "Well, imagine the greediest fucking being you've ever met. Then combine that with a hundred more of the same beings, and you will barely scratch the surface of how much of a pain in the ass a Tarkatan butcher is."

"That sounds...hard."

The Tarkatan waved his hand. "Tell me about it. I swear, if these villagers don't finish the Coliseum, I'm going to kill them myself."

Kuai Liang stood up. "You don't need to worry about them. They know what's at stake, and if it comes down to it, I'll build the Coliseum myself."

"Whatever. I don't fucking care. Just get it done, so we can all go back to our lives and forget about all of this nonsense."

Kuai Liang sighed once again, before smirking. An idea had wormed its way into his head. "I'm getting tired of calling you 'creature' or 'Tarkatan'. Do you have a name?"

The Tarkatan shook his head. "No. Only the strongest amongst each generation earn the right to use a name. That honor went to Baraka."

Kuai Liang turned to face the Tarkatan, the smirk refusing to leave his face. "Then it's settled. From this point onwards, your name will be...Bob."

'Bob' looked at Kuai Liang, confused. "Why do I have the feeling you are mocking me?"

"I'm not!" Kuai exclaimed, trying to hide his laughter. Bob scowled. "You are! Filthy human!"

"Oh come on, Bob! Don't be so cranky!" Kuai said, desperately trying to stop snickering. Bob snarled "You better stop calling me that, if you know what's good for you, human!"

Kuai Liang decided to step out of the tent. "Sure thing...Bob."

Kuai Liang ran laughing, as the Tarkatan howled in fury and threw something at him. Taking a look around the Coliseum, Kuai Liang saw the villagers hard at work.

It seems Li Mei hasn't been lying around idle, as well.

In the middle of the site, Li Mei stood, directing the villagers to where they were needed the most. Her hair was free of the purple rag it had been tied to the previous day, and had instead been tied back into a small ponytail. Kuai Liang took a deep breath, before heading to speak to her.

"Li Mei. I see you've recovered quite admirably from yesterday's events." Sub-Zero stated.

Li Mei smiled. "Thanks to you, I was able to rest and recover without worrying about my people. Besides, you and our new supervisor have done most of the heavy work for us. A belly full of water and meat is much more willing to work than one that is starved."

"I'm glad to hear it. However, I must ask, are you certain that your people will be able to finish the Coliseum?"

Li Mei nodded. "We know what is at stake. We will finish the Coliseum by the end of this week."

Sub-Zero nodded. He made the motion to turn away, before stopping. He didn't really have any work left today, Smoke would've found him by now if there was something urgent going on, and he...may have wanted to spend more time in the company of the mysterious village leader. He turned back to face Li Mei.

"Actually...do you mind if I sit here? I don't think Bob appreciates my company that much at the moment."

Li Mei turned to him, a smile adorned on her face. "Bob?"

Kuai Liang turned away from the radiant sight in front of him, his cheeks heating up rather unexpectedly. He thanked his brother once again for the respirator.

"Yeah. I got tired of calling him 'Tarkatan' or 'creature', so I decided to just give him a name. That one stood out in my head the most. I don't think he appreciated it that much, though."

Li Mei laughed, her melodious voice tinkling throughout the small area. "That settles it, then. I'll tell the rest of my people our supervisor's new name."

Li Mei chuckled for a few more moments, before sighing. She looked to Kuai.

"Forgive me for asking, but...why do you want to fight in Shao Khan's new Tournament?" she asked.

Kuai Liang looked downwards. "My brother's killer will be in the tournament. If I do not avenge him and complete his mission, then he will have died without honor. I can't let that happen, not to him."

Li Mei nodded in understanding. "I have never understood why the concept of honor is so important to some people, but I know how important it is to them. Just... be careful. Too many good men have died in this realm because of Shao Khan's neverending bloodlust."

Kuai Liang nodded. "I understand. I'll only fight as much as needed to meet my brother's killer. No more and no less than that."

Li Mei sat down on a chair next to Kuai Liang. "Hmm. A bit of rest before heading back to work is always appreciated."

Kuai Liang chuckled. "Tell me about it. I knew a few guys who crashed and burned from working so hard without resting in their classes, my college actually had to call ambulances for them."

Li Mei looked at Sub-Zero, confused. "I have no idea what that means, but it sounds interesting."

Kuai Liang froze for a second, before shaking his head. Outworld was very different from Earthrealm, he should've remembered.

"Sorry. Just a topic that came up in my head."

Li Mei shook her head. "No, no. I'm interested! What is your world like, Sub-Zero?"

And for the next few hours, Kuai Liang regaled Li Mei with stories about his home.

P.O.V Switch - Tarkatan (Bob)

He snarled. He'd been waiting the past few hours to give the human a piece of his mind over his name, but it was now getting late. He needed his sleep, and if the human was going to sabotage his own sleep schedule, then maybe that was all the revenge he needed.

Bob, huh?

The Tarkatan closed his eyes.

I kinda like it.

AN: I adore these idiots in love so much ;_;

So, we're seeing more development between Mileena and Izuku! I feel like I've done all the heavy lifting in Mileena's part, so now it's high time for Izuku to realize his own feelings towards his Outworld friend.

We're also seeing hints between Li Mei and Sub-Zero! Poor Kuai Liang has developed a bit of a crush, cuz he's usually been too busy with work to consider a romantic life, but now that he's got a brief bit of downtime…. ( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡)

I wonder if anyone's noticed, but Kuai Liang tends to try and be really articulate because his brother always was a really formal dude. It's when he's not being Sub-Zero that he tends to talk more informally.

Now that he is named, expect Bob the Tarkatan to be a more recurring character in this story.

My workload is going down, so expect to see more frequent updates for the foreseeable future!