Chapter 10: The Tournament Resumes

AN: New chapter! Unfortunately, it's a bit shorter than what you guys are used to. Between vacation, playing through the Dragon Age trilogy, and studying for Linear Algebra, writing's been slow. Hope you all enjoy it!

Outworld, Edenian Caves

Mileena slowly felt herself waking up. Giving a small groan of discomfort, she made the motion to get up.

Only to find herself held down by a rather strong pair of arms.

Freezing in shock, Mileena slowly turned to her left, confirming her suspicions. Izuku was asleep next to her, holding her tightly.

"Snrk"

Praying to herself that it wasn't the one person she did not want to find them in this situation, Mileena slowly turned her head to face towards the voice.

"So...looks like Zuku's been busy, huh?" Johnny Cage asked, a broad grin present on his face.

Khan's Koliseum, An Hour Later

Mileena looked at the monk Kombatant in front of her, feeling nothing but pity.

It was clear that he couldn't win, but he kept trying, anyway. Mileena tried to restrain herself against the monk, but ended up hitting the monk with a strike to the chest, forcing the monk to fall to the ground.

The crowd roared, but Mileena didn't move a muscle. The monk slowly got up from the ground, looking at Mileena.

"I have failed. I deserve death."

Mileena froze, her eyes looking down.

I have disgraced them. You must kill me.

Shao Khan, narrowing his eyes, looked at Mileena.

"Kill him!"

Mileena still didn't move, instead turning to look at the Emperor.

Shao Khan scoffed, before a green light erupted from the monk's chest. The monk screamed, as his flesh hollowed out and turned into a husk.

Mileena involuntarily took a few steps backwards, horror and regret quickly beginning to course through her.

I should have killed him. I could have made it quick. Why didn't I do it? Why…

"Mileena!" Shao Khan shouted. Mileena turned to him.

"You will join me." he growled. Mileena nodded, before coming up and standing next to him on the throne.

P.O.V Switch - Izuku

"Oh hell." Izuku whispered to himself amidst the audience, garbed in a simple Outworld hooded robe.

Liu Kang shook his head. "Damned fool! What was she thinking, challenging Shao Khan's authority like that?"

Izuku started to get up, only for Liu Kang to drag him back down. "There's nothing we can do about it now. The crowd here will keep us hidden, but it'll also hamper any effort to help. For all intents and purposes, we're stuck here.

"But she-"

"Will be fine, Izuku. Kitana and Jade will protect her. Trust them, if not me."

P.O.V Switch - Mileena

Shao Khan turned to face her and Kitana.

"There is something occupying your thoughts. Both of your performances suffer for it. I will not ask what it is. Instead, I have a mission for you both."

Kitana bowed her head. "Of course, Father. We will not fail you."

"That remains to be seen. A few days ago, a large section of my Arena was destroyed. The fool in charge of the construction was able to rebuild the damage on time, but I will not let this insult stand. Find out who was responsible, and eliminate them."

"As you wish, Father." Kitana replied. The two sisters turned around to leave the Kolosseum.

"One more thing." Shao Khan stated. The two assassins stopped in their tracks.

"I know that the vigilante and the monk live. I believe them to be the prime suspects of this attack."

Mileena froze in shock.

"How did he know?" She couldn't help but think.

"And if they are not?" Kitana asked.

"Eliminate them anyway. They are a threat that must be dealt with as quickly as possible."

The two bowed low again, before finally walking out of the Koliseum.

"By the gods, I cannot wait for the moment I can end his miserable existence!" Kitana whispered, visibly enraged.

"You and me both, sister." Mileena replied, the image of the monk's last moments replaying itself in her mind.

As the two walked away, they failed to see Shao Khan conversing with a red clad assassin.

A Few Hours Later, Wastelands of Outworld

The two sisters took a moment to inspect their surroundings, looking for clues on the mysterious fighter who had destroyed the Arena.

"Where's Jade?" Mileena asked.

"She said she'll be coming in a moment. So, do you think that Izuku or Liu Kang were able to vandalize Khan's Arena?" Kitana asked.

"Considering that Izuku was sleeping next to me when it happened? Not a chance." Mileena replied. As soon as she said that, she realized she had made a mistake.

"Making your move already, sister? How bold!" Kitana exclaimed.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! We're just good friends!" Mileena growled back.

"Sister, when a man chooses to sleep by your side, I believe that shows something a bit beyond friendship." Kitana replied, a smile evident behind her veil.

Mileena groaned, shaking her head. "You're insufferable. Are you going to help me with this, or are you simply going to stand there all night?"

"All right, all right, don't be so pushy." Kitana replied.

"Are you two all right?" Liu Kang asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air alongside Izuku.

Mileena shrieked, falling down. Kitana jumped backwards.

"By the gods, stop doing that!" Kitana exclaimed.

Liu Kang scratched his neck, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Jade told us you were trying to track down the guy responsible for destroying a part of the Arena. I thought you could use some help." Izuku stated.

"I also told you that it wasn't needed!" Jade exclaimed, walking down the beach. Calming herself down, Jade sighed. "Look, could you give me and the others a minute? We need to have a talk, a serious one."

"Oh." Izuku replied. "Alright then. Come on, Liu Kang."

As the two Kombatants walked down to an area where they were sure they wouldn't be able to hear any of the shouting that might go down, Jade turned to Kitana and Mileena.

"What's this all about, Jade?" Kitana asked.

"Oh, nothing. Aside from the fact that you two have clearly forgotten to be careful!" Jade exclaimed.

Kitana bristled. "What are you talking about?! Speak clearly, I will not be scolded like some child!"

Mileena grabbed Kitana's shoulder. "Sister, calm down." she whispered. She turned to Jade. "What's going on, Jade? What's wrong?"

"Shao Khan suspects that you two are up to something. He doesn't know what, but you both are now under heavy scrutiny. If he figures out that you both are conspiring with the people he considers to be the greatest threat to his Konquest, you will be executed. Do not give him a reason to get angry with you now!"

Jade took a few moments to look at her surroundings, before turning back.

"Please be careful. I will try and come back with more information as soon as possible."

Jade then walked away from the duo. As she walked away, Izuku and Liu Kang came back.

"That sounded...rough. Are you two alright?" Izuku asked.

"We're fine, Izuku. Jade is just a little stressed, and rightfully so, I will add. Right, sister?" Mileena asked pointedly.

"Me? What did I do?"

"Jade is trying her best to help us, Kitana. The least you could do is appreciate that, instead of getting angry at her?"

"But I-"

Mileena gave her a pointed look.

Kitana sighed. "You're right. Jade risks much to help us with our plans. I should apologize to her when I get the opportunity."

At that moment, a wicked thought came to her mind.

"I have something I need to discuss with Liu Kang. I'll be back in a few minutes."

And with that, Kitana dragged Liu Kang away, leaving Izuku with the slowly panicking Mileena.

"Your sister's acting pretty weird. Are you sure everything's okay?" Izuku asked.

"Everything is fine. I suspect this is Kitana's idea of a practical joke." Mileena replied.

The two took a moment to sit down, admiring the view of the impaled corpses and the ocean full of blood. Mileena took that moment to remove her veil.

"You know, after seeing everything your realm has to offer, I'm starting to realize why you're so desperate to come to mine. All you've got here is sand, blood, and creatures trying to kill you at every turn." Izuku remarked.

Mileena chuckled a bit, before sighing. "It wasn't always like this, you know? It was a beautiful place once. Edenia, the envy of all other realms."

Izuku leaned forwards. "Really? What happened?"

"Shao Khan happened." Mileena replied bitterly. "He conquered Edenia, merged it with Outworld. Despite his victory, he still wasn't satisfied. He took the former King's wife and daughter as his own, and brainwashed them to serve him. However, the Queen soon realized what had happened to her, and she ended up committing suicide so that Shao Khan could never harm her again, leaving behind two daughters to the mercy of the monster that had forced her into that state."

It didn't take long for Izuku to connect the dots.

"Oh my god." he whispered. He didn't speak for a few moments, stunned by the story Mileena had told him. "When did you learn this?" he asked.

Mileena shrugged. "Only a month ago, shortly after we came back from Earthrealm. Found out by a book, of all things." Mileena chuckled darkly. "Isn't that funny? All those secrets and lies Shao Khan constructed, only to be pulled down by a simple historical text."

Izuku clasped Mileena's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry you had to learn the truth that way."

Mileena shook her head. "It's not your fault. And to be honest, I do feel better that I've learned the truth, now."

The two didn't speak to each other for a few moments.

Izuku chose to break the silence first.

"Mileena, look, about what happened this morning…"

"It's alright. We were both tired, and we needed our rest. There's nothing further to explain."

"I think there is." Izuku replied. His tone had become far quieter.

Mileena could feel her cheeks getting warmer. "What are you talking about?"

Izuku scratched his neck, trying to look anywhere else but at Mileena.

"Look, the fact of the matter is...well...I mean….what I'm trying to say is….I…."

Mileena took a step forward. It was only in that moment that she realized how close Izuku's face was to hers.

"I…." Izuku trailed off, staring at her. He began to lean in.

Suddenly, Mileena's amulet began to pulse, distracting the two. Mileena growled, before ripping it off and staring at it. A few moments later, she gasped.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Izuku asked.

Kitana chose that moment to reappear. "Jade is in danger! We have to rescue her!"

AN: Well, isn't that ominous?

It seems our Green Bean Vigilante will soon have a confession to make. When, on the other hand, depends on how long I want to torture you guys and gals, XD

Sub Zero won't be appearing for a while. Remember, at this moment, he's knocked out and recovering at Sun-Do Village.

Remember, updates may be slow, but they are coming. I'm just busy with a ton of college courses and a new job right now.