A/N: (Long ass author's note ahead, explaining that this is a Womanizer revamp, an AU, and any trigger warnings there might be up ahead. Skip if you don't care lol.)
FIRST: I've changed my username to jewels jay. Some might know me as my most recent username, SolastheDreadwolf. Others might know me as my very first username, ElfDavis. I just kinda decided that I don't identify with the SolastheDreadwolf name anymore and felt like rebranding a bit. That was back when I was super obsessed with that guy and was actually going by Solas in some circles, but I am no longer a part of those circles, and instead go by JJ or other online pseudonymes.
So! It's uh…been awhile! Lol. I know I said I was done writing fanfiction forever, but I've hit a dry patch in writing my current original fiction, and as an exercise to get me back into the swing of things, I decided to plot out a rewrite of my Womanizer fanfiction. But better. Because I glanced through it and just...yikes. I started that fic at the tender age of 14 and ended it when I was 19, I believe. Most of it was written in my early teens, and in all honesty, I'm not even cringing at my writing ability for the most part. I still am not a super awesome writer. I write for fun, I have never wanted to get published, not even my original fiction. (Poetry is a different story, but that's not what we're talking about.) I know I lack a lot of technical skill and that is obvious both now and in the past. I think the worst parts for me in the last version of Womanizer was 1) I whitewashed the shit out of Scorpion. I made him a white lady named Selene. WHAT! Yikes. 2) Genderbends aren't inherently transphobic but there were some weird moments with Scorpion and his gender that just make me feel funky. As an adult I currently identify as non-binary/trans and queer and the whole thing was just done super awkwardly. And 3) Why the fuck did I call it Womanizer, Scorpion was not a womanizer. Nobody was. Did I not know what that word actually meant? Fucking hell. Not to mention the questioning of his sexuality was done poorly, the romance was hella rushed, there was a weirdly done love triangle, and overall it really just boils down to me having never been in an actual relationship before and not understanding those dynamics and being a bit lazy in explaining how they even got feelings for each other. Not to mention I was super closeted and somewhat transphobic and homophobic. LOL gotta love that internalized self hatred.
I want to preface that this will not be like a super long, novel-length fanfiction. I have the "bones" of it figured out, so I'm not sure how long it will be, but I'm assuming it'll be about 10 chapters. But if I get really into it, it could be more. I also want to say that I may never actually finish the entire thing. Like stated previously, this is meant as a writing exercise to get me back into writing more often (as I am a teacher and have almost no time to write during the school year. It's summer now, so I'm trying to get rolling again). I am super excited about this one, but I'm notorious for starting projects and never finishing them! Which is why I'm trying to keep this one on the shorter side, so I actually freaking finish something.
Another thing to mention is that this fic is NOT following any current or past plot lines of the Mortal Kombat universe. Some of it is lightly inspired by some fics by Poe'sDaughter (wonderful writer! PLEASE check out her works. Her Tales of the Lin Kuei stories are my favorite fanfictions of all time) but most of it is completely "AU" as in, it does have Mortal Kombat themes and it is set in the same world with the same ideas (I am planning on there being a Mortal Kombat tournament in this fic) but rules and plot lines are changed to fit what I feel like writing about. I write for fun, which means I'm writing what I want. Follow the old adage of "don't like, don't read!" Because of these plot changes, some characters might seem a bit OOC. Ya know, because MK characters in the game really don't have a lot of personality behind "I'm gonna fight these hoes!" and "Vengeance!" I am trying to make these guys a bit more human with some nuanced emotions. I am also adding some OCs that will be minor characters to help flesh out the story a bit more. All in all, hardcore MK fans will probably hate this. But people who like genderbends, fluff/romance, and found family-esque tropes, you will probably enjoy this. Bi-Han is one of my all time favorite MK characters, and I'm excited to give you guys a glimpse into my version of Bi-Han.
Lastly, if there are any seriously triggering topics in a chapter, I will list them at the beginning of the chapter. I will try to do this without spoiling the chapter, but that might not be 100% possible at all times. Know going into this that there will be violence and gore (sometimes depicted graphically), fighting, swearing, romance (which could include MA themes), depictions of childhood trauma and abuse (sometimes depicted graphically), and mental illness (including mentions of suicide or self-harm, not just in the physical sense but also in the emotional/psychological sense). Less intense topics will include gender dysphoria, questions about sexuality, and general fluff and angst. This fic will not be suitable for young children, and if you are younger than 14, I would be very considerate of what you're willing to read and how that will affect you. I cannot force you to not read, though, but just know what you're walking into. I guess be aware that this is a Mortal Kombat fanfiction so fighting and gore are part of it. A core topic of this fic is not just the genderbend, but also mental illness and trauma and a relationship between two people that have been through hell and back, bonding over mutual pain and suffering.
Alright, that's all I've got in this book of an author's note! I really hope you enjoy this revamp of Womanizer. I feel like I will.
-Jewels Jay (JJ)
Chapter 1: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
One would think, you know, that helping the gods would get you something special. Maybe they would grant you a wish or make you more powerful. Maybe they would take care of a rival, or hell, give you a gift of any kind.
That's what Scorpion had been expecting when he agreed to betray his master and assist the Elder Gods with a little "favor." Yeah, a favor that had nearly gotten him killed! No, he wasn't upset about that at all, what do you mean?
As he stood before the Elder Gods in all their glory, they asked him the question he was hoping for.
"What do you wish for in return for your great service, Hanzo Hasashi?" Gaia, the Elder God of the Earth asked. She wore a kind smile on her face, her dark skin and bright green eyes sparkling like dew on blades of grass. She was one of the only Gods he didn't fully despise, but he still didn't trust her. He glanced around at the others. Minho, the Elder God of Fire, looked bored. Akahm, the Elder God of Night, look angry and stoic. Nouved, the Elder God of Day was smiling also, but her inky black eyes put him on edge so he quickly moved on to the last two: Edahi the Elder God of Wind and Callista, the Elder God of Water. Edahi was the leader of their little council, and Callista was the biggest bitch he'd ever met, so he met her stormy blue eyes with a glare. He looked back to Gaia.
"Normally I would like for Sub Zero to be killed, permanently, as payment for murdering my clan and family in cold blood. However, I know you are all trying to do that whole 'gracious gods' shit nowadays so I'm guessing that would be a no," he replied, sarcasm dripping off his words like acid. Gaia only gave a gentle nod.
"That is correct. Anything else?"
"I wish to be resurrected as human," he blurted. Gaia grinned brightly.
"We figured you would ask for that. Just know that it would be a complicated process, and there could be side effe—"
"I don't care for the side effects, woman. I just want to be human again," he snapped, knowing he sounded rude but not giving a damn. He caught Callista glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.
"You will learn to have respect for women, Hanzo Hasashi," she said, her voice cold. But it is as you wish." Her lips twitched upward in a satisfied smirk, and Scorpion's eyes narrowed. He knew she was up to something, and he knew what he said was about to backfire on him.
The Gods joined hands in a circle around him, their eyes all glowing a bright white. The same piercing white exploded around him, diving into him through his eyes, nose, mouth, even his very pores. His blood felt hotter than the hellfire he manipulated, and he was certain he was going to explode, his bones vibrating under his skin. He shrieked, his voice going raw in a matter of seconds. He collapsed, his skin tingling and his head ready to burst like a cherry tomato. He closed his eyes, the feeling of falling from a great height consuming him before he blacked out.
Scorpion woke up, but didn't open his eyes yet. His body seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and he gave a groan, a deep coldness seeping into his bones. When his world stopped spinning like a fucking merry-go-round, he cracked open his eyes and was met by intense brightness. His head hurt like he had gotten plastered the night before and got KO'd in a boxing match. Sitting up, he grumbled loudly at the pain in his limbs.
"Fucking hell," he murmured. His eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice. That did not sound like his voice. He cleared his throat, frowning at how strange it sounded.
"What the hell…" he spoke again, panicking when he heard how high pitched he sounded. He looked at his hands and nearly shrieked when he saw they were not large and calloused. They were small, dainty, and perfectly smooth. His nails were well-kept, and his fingers thin. He followed up his arm, noticing how slender it was. When he looked down at his chest, he actually did scream. He was a WOMAN!
He was certain he was going to pass out again, his vision swaying. There was no way this was real. This had to be a bad dream. He grabbed at the snow he had been laying on, focusing on its coldness to help bring him back and ground him a bit. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He looked around, noticing he was in the middle of a small clearing in a forest. He heard quiet chattering of birds above him. As he started to stand, he heard the crunch of footsteps on snow and voices.
"Hello?" A man called out. "Show yourself!"
"Nice one, Tomas. 'Hello, show yourself?' For real? Yeah, that's so scary," another man said sarcastically. They both came to the clearing and stopped when they saw Scorpion, clearly not expecting a random woman dressed in full black ninja garb to be there. They stepped into fighting stances, becoming serious in less than a second.
"Who are you?" One of them, wearing a black outfit with a bright blue-green sash across his chest, exclaimed. Scorpion was absolutely dumbfounded at what he saw. They were both wearing ninja masks, but not hoods. The other man, wearing a black ninja outfit with a grey sash across his chest, had long white hair, to about his chest level, and bright silver eyes. Scorpion knew who this was. This was Smoke, a Lin Kuei assassin. The freaky part is that what he knew of Smoke was that he was a cyborg, his human body nearly desecrated to create such a machine. This Smoke looked barely over 18. The man beside him looked even more familiar. This was Sub Zero! The younger one, the one he hadn't killed yet. What freaked him out was that he didn't have his large scar over his eye, nor did he look to be a fully grown adult. He looked close to the same age as Smoke, perhaps even a year or two younger. Scorpion was sure he was going absolutely insane.
"Where am I…" he asked, nearly cringing at his feminine voice and how freaked out he sounded.
"You are on Lin Kuei territory. Name yourself, or we will have no choice but to attack," Sub Zero replied, his voice hard as the ice he wielded. Whatever the case may be, Scorpion knew he couldn't say he was Hanzo Hasashi. Not only did he appear as a woman, but he was on enemy territory. He racked his brain for a name.
"Akiyama Kaede," he replied quickly, giving a respectful bow. He chose his deceased daughter's name and his wife's maiden name. "But you may call me Kaede. Please, I do not know how I got here. Truly, I am from Japan. I am just a mercenary. I got caught in a bad situation. They shoved me into a pit and I blacked out and woke up here," he prayed they were either naive enough to believe him or at least knew he wasn't a threat at the moment. They each gave the other a long look before looking at Scorpion carefully.
"Alright, Kaede. Do you want to be escorted off of the territory? Or are you needing shelter?" Sub Zero said. Smoke looked at him with wide eyes.
"Tundra!" he hissed. "Your brother will kill us if we bring a stranger into the stronghold. From Japan, no less. She could be a Shirai Ryu!" Scorpion felt his blood run colder than the air he was breathing. He spoke as if the Shirai Ryu was alive. Were they alive?! He had to be in the past. Tundra was the younger Sub Zero's former code name. This made no sense and yet made perfect sense. Still, Scorpion didn't want to get his hopes up.
"Oh no, I am not Shirai Ryu," he said, "I don't usually associate with ninja clans. I prefer to work alone. But I would appreciate some shelter. I don't know where the hell I am at all, other than Lin Kuei territory. Wherever that happens to be." He knew they were in the mountains in China, but considering China was gigantic, that was not helpful information. They exchanged a long look again. Smoke shook his head slightly and Tundra gave a sharp nod and a glare. Smoke huffed, but seemed to concede to Tundra's judgment. Tundra jerked his head back the direction they had come from.
"Come on. Our Grandmaster will want to talk to you," he said. The boys turned and walked, and Scorpion followed, pushing his shoulders back and raising his head high. He had no idea what to expect. He had no idea who the Grandmaster had been before Sub Zero, but he could only imagine he was a horrible person since his clan despised Lin Kuei.
"Your brother would be so proud you actually used his Grandmaster title," Smoke laughed, trying to stay quiet. Scorpion nearly froze in his tracks. Oh no. Sub Zero was the Grandmaster at the time. He was still alive. He suddenly felt a fire in his veins that was sadly not hellfire. No, he didn't have those powers any longer. He had an intense desire to kill Sub Zero. Especially since his clan was still alive. He could save his family! He smirked a little. Oh yes, he was ready to both avenge and save his family.
"Yeah, probably. It's so fucking cringey, though. Like gods, he was already the most bossy older brother ever. Now he's the Grandmaster? Fuck my life," Tundra complained quietly, though Scorpion could still hear. He couldn't help but feel a little bit amused by their banter. He'd been an only child, but had friends with siblings and he knew that dynamic.
"I'd lose my mind if my older brother became the boss of everyone. Ya know, if I had an older brother. Not that I know that," Smoke snorted. Tundra rolled his eyes.
"It sucks, dude, trust me. Now I'm required to listen to him. I don't get why they made him Grandmaster. He's not even the oldest Master. Storm is way more experienced. Hell, even Vapor."
"Well he did kill Oniro," Smoke pointed out. "Plus Vapor technically wasn't a Master because Oniro wouldn't make her one. And Storm isn't a leader. He's more of an advisor." Scorpion listened to them talk in interest. He didn't know this about the Lin Kuei. He had no idea Sub Zero had killed the previous Grandmaster. By the sounds of it, it had been an uprising of sorts, since there was consideration on who would be Grandmaster. He racked his brain for what he knew of the Lin Kuei. Which, admittedly, wasn't much.
The boys didn't say anything else of note as they walked through the forest, which grew less dense as they continued on. They soon exited the trees, and there was a large expanse between the trees and the Lin Kuei's base. In this expanse were various areas cleared of snow, some with dummies for target practice, and some were sandy pits that had ninjas practicing their sparring. There weren't many outside at the moment, perhaps only about a couple dozen or so, ranging from age seven or eight to a fully grown adult. As they passed, people greeted Smoke and Tundra, then paused when they saw Scorpion, looking confused. They didn't say anything to him, but continued with their lessons and practice. It honestly reminded Scorpion of the Shiari Ryu, which made his heart ache.
They soon came to the large front doors of the base, which had four guards watching it, two on each side. They looked stoic and serious, though offered faint smiles and head nods to the two boys as they passed, eyeing Scorpion and the sword on his back closely as she did the same. As they walked in, Scorpion couldn't help but look around. He saw several ninja and a few women dressed in a different uniform painting the walls, or laying down new tile on the floor, which was a pale blue-grey color. It looked like they were remodeling, which he hadn't really expected. The untouched part of this foyer certainly looked old, however, and the part they were working on looked much nicer and more put together.
"Redoing the place?" he commented to the boys. Tundra looked over his shoulder.
"Yeah, the old Grandmaster didn't care as much about how the place looked. He really only cared about making evil killing machines, and having a nice, comfortable place for those killing machines to live just wasn't his style. The new Grandmaster is changing things up a lot. We actually get beds now, which is cool. It was really expensive, but we have funds out the ass from all the contracts we get. The former Grandmaster just hoarded it, basically," he explained, giving a bright grin, "Grandmaster Sub Zero is trying to make it a better place to live. More comfortable, less doom and gloom. Happiness and shit, ya know? Plus he's recruiting women now, which the former Grandmaster refused to do. He's also planning on adopting orphans rather than just plundering random villages and killing everyone and stealing the kids."
Scorpion's eyebrows rose at what he said. This seemed like a lot of great things. He hadn't known Sub Zero to do good things. In reality, he only knew Sub Zero as the murderer of his family and clan. All of this good stuff seemed out of character for a cold blooded killing machine. He decided to hold his tongue on the accusations. Clearly something happened that made Sub Zero snap and go feral. If he could find a way to prevent that, perhaps he could save his clan without outright murdering him.
"Wow, that's incredible. I don't know much about Lin Kuei, to be honest. I didn't realize it was so horrible to be in a clan. From what I've heard about the Shirai Ryu, it didn't seem that bad," he replied, sounding impressed.
"What's the Shirai Ryu like?" Tomas asked, "Our former Grandmaster and his followers painted them to be evil, horrific creatures. But they've never actually attacked us. I have scoured our history books, and there's barely anything about any altercations with them beyond minor scuffles or stealing contracts." Scorpion once again was very surprised, trying to not let it show on his face. The Lin Kuei didn't even know why they hated Shirai Ryu? There were hundreds of reasons to hate Lin Kuei. They attacked their assassins in the field all the time, not to mention stole contracts and constantly caused problems wherever they went. They had no honor.
"Oh…what I know of it seems similar to what your new Grandmaster is doing," Scorpion said, knowing he needed to keep it vague and not sound like he was one of the Senior Masters of the clan. "They let women train. I think their current leader is a woman, if I remember right. They are pretty peace-keeping. They do some assassinations, but they are mostly hired guards for traveling merchants or help people with tasks if they can. Basically like Samurai but not working for the Emperor or the Shogun. Like a group of independent contractors, if you will," he explained. The boys seemed to hang on to his every word.
"That's crazy! That's not what we were taught at all. I'm not surprised, though. Our old leadership was awful. Absolutely awful," Tundra said, starting to trail off at the end, trying to force a smile through his obvious frown. Smoke looked a bit uneasy, frowning as well. Tundra gave a small cough to try and compose himself. "Bad guys, all of em. Luckily we don't have to worry about that. We killed them all."
Scorpion abruptly stopped walking, his eyes widening.
"What?" he said, astounded. "How many did you kill?"
"Oh damn, like over half of the adults. Unfortunately a lot of kids died too because the guys we were fighting against started killing them to get us to stop. We knew we couldn't stop. We knew that whoever was left would be left and that was that. Our numbers are crazy low right now, which is why Bi-Han—I mean, Grandmaster Sub Zero—is actively recruiting just about anyone that isn't a psychopath," Tundra explained casually. Smoke nodded to corroborate this information.
"Yeah. Most didn't die in the initial battle, but when Grandmaster Sub Zero said that if they weren't going to follow his orders, they would die, we had to kill a lot more. We couldn't afford to have them gang up and try to kill us when we were unaware. You know, since they're professional assassins. We had to vett a lot of people. It was not a good time. Such is the way, however. Sometimes to create peace, you have to incite war."
Scorpion nodded to agree, though was still stunned by this new wealth of information. He had not known any of this about the Lin Kuei at all. He tried to hide his surprise as best he could.
They soon came to a door, and Tundra knocked loudly.
"Grandmaster? We found someone in the woods. They don't know how they got here. They're from Japan."
Scorpion could hear some shuffling through the door, and a sound of someone pushing a chair out and then back in. He heard footsteps approach the door, and then Sub Zero opened the door. He was wearing a normal ninja outfit, not the Grandmaster regalia he had always seen him in, with the spiked bracers and the trident cowl and the cloak. His sash was a royal blue, and his mask matched. He did not wear a cowl, so his long black hair was in a top knot. His frigid blue eyes fixed on Scorpion, and he found that he was frozen–no pun intended. He was thankful he himself was wearing a mask, though he was wearing a hood as well. He had no freaking clue what he looked like in any capacity. He prayed the Elder Gods had made him at least a little bit pretty.
"Normally I don't mind keeping anonymity, but since you are a stranger from an enemy clan's country, I'll have to ask you to remove your mask and cowl, as well as state your name and affiliation, please." His voice was very deep and commanding, but he did not speak loudly. He spoke just loud enough for them to hear, and seemed incredibly calm. Scorpion nodded.
"As you wish," he replied. His voice was a little lower for a female voice, but not to an extreme degree. At least he wouldn't sound like a "kawaii-desu!" teenager that he sometimes had to deal with in the towns when he was human…and male. He pulled off his cowl, and his hair was in a ponytail that had been pinned flat. He pulled the pins out of his hair as best he could, releasing the ponytail and trying to hide his shock when he realized how ridiculously long his hair was. It was still in the ponytail and reached past his mid back. Good gods. He noticed it was black and had a normal Asian texture, though, so at least he had been able to keep his ethnicity. He pulled off his mask and offered a small smile to Sub Zero, trying to remain pleasant despite kind of wanting to shank him. He had to remind himself that he hadn't done the unspeakable yet. If he was lucky, Scorpion would be able to prevent such a tragedy.
"I am Kaede. No code name, no affiliation. I am a self-employed mercenary," he explained, giving a deep and respectful bow of the waist. He straightened, and Sub Zero gave a slightly less deep bow, but still bowed respectfully, nonetheless.
"Greeting, Kaede. I am Grandmaster Sub Zero. You are on Lin Kuei territory, currently. I imagine my brother and Smoke have brought you here for a reason?" he looked to the boys, who nodded quickly.
"She said she got caught in a bad situation and got shoved into a pit and woke up here somehow. She's originally from Japan. She has no idea where to go or stay, so she is needing shelter," Tundra explained quickly, "I figured you wouldn't mind that. We could probably help her get home. Or if she wants to stay…we could really use another warrior." Scorpion's eyebrows rose. Oh gods, that was perfect! If he could stay, he'd be able to keep an eye on Sub Zero and know his devious plans. He'd surely be able to know when he planned on attacking the Shirai Ryu! If he planned to do such a thing, he could then kill him in his own stronghold! It was foolproof!
"Oh, I didn't realize that offer was on the table," Scorpion said casually. Sub Zero glared at his brother.
"It wasn't. Well, it shouldn't have been put on the table without me being talked to about it first," he paused, sighing, "But yes. We are in a bit of a bind. We had a…changing of leadership recently. It has left us short-handed. Normally I wouldn't be that worried, but enemy clans nearby have been putting pressure on us and I am worried they will attempt to launch a full-scale attack. While we would likely prevail, I do not want anyone to be injured or killed in the process," Sub Zero frowned, "We have lost so many good people already. It would pain me to lose more."
"It sounds like you care deeply about your clanmates," Scorpion commented. Sub Zero nodded.
"I do. Those that supported our cause, of course. All of those that are left do, and they are my family. If you are willing to join, I would be happy to welcome you. You would have to be tested into a rank, and depending on your skill, you will get a rank in the clan and be given certain duties."
"If you are willing to take me in, then I will join. I usually don't associate with ninja clans much. I prefer to work on my own, usually. But these two have told me about what has happened recently, and how you are working to make it better, which is admirable. I would not mind joining such a cause." Scorpion figured sucking up a little wouldn't hurt. If he was going to have any chance of being near Sub Zero as much as possible, he would have to make him like him to some degree. Not to mention, he would have to hope he'd earn a high rank. He knew he was a skilled warrior, but he didn't know what their parameters were. He glanced to Tundra and Smoke. It couldn't hurt to make friends with them too. Tundra was Sub Zero's brother, which meant he would probably be privy to a lot of information others might not know. He had already proven to be very chatty and open, so he figured he could get him to run his mouth with a little prompting. Sub Zero smiled at him. Well, Scorpion couldn't see his face, but his eyes showed a smile over the mask.
"Do we wear masks all the time, orr…?" he asked. Sub Zero chuckled quietly.
"No, mostly just when we go outside or when we're sparring. To keep our faces warm and to make sure dirt won't fly into our mouths or noses when we're practicing. We will also wear them around strangers, so since these two were doing a border patrol, they would wear them to keep anonymity. As well as only use code names." He pulled his mask off, and Scorpion was shocked by how attractive he was. He mentally shook his head like a dog. What?! He did not just think Sub Zero was attractive, did he? It had to be the female hormones or something. He kept his face neutral, but couldn't help but smile slightly when Sub Zero smiled at him kindly. His teeth were perfectly white and pristine, and he had a very good-looking smile. Scorpion felt so fucking stupid and tried to banish all thoughts of finding Sub Zero looking handsome out of his mind. This was his enemy, for fuck's sake. A murderer. He definitely did not think he was cute. Not at all.
"I am Bi-Han, though most will refer to me as Grandmaster or Grandmaster Sub Zero." he held out his hand to shake his, and he took it, shocked by how frigid it was. He didn't realize cryomancers were cold even when not using their powers. They each gave a small head bow before releasing each other's hands.
"Pleasure to meet you more formally, Bi-Han. I look forward to working with you," he smiled. Bi-Han smiled again, making his stomach flutter involuntarily. Scorpion mentally set a torch to the butterflies in his stomach.
"The pleasure is mine, Kaede. I look forward to seeing your progress." He looked to the other two boys, who each shed their masks. Tundra looked very much like Bi-Han, except he did not have as sharp of a jawline, and he had a slight baby face, though it was possible Bi-Han had one too and was hiding it with a well-groomed stubble.
"I'm Kuai Liang. Codename Tundra. I'm Bi-Han's younger brother, and a Senior Master.`` He gave a small bow, and Scorpion returned it.
"Hello, Kuai Liang," he greeted, smiling more. He looked at Smoke.
"I'm Tomas Vrbada. Also a Senior Master. These two are basically my brothers, we all showed up close to the same time and trained together most often. Well, Bi-Han was an age group ahead of us two, but still." he grinned brightly. He had very sharp features, and his canines seemed a little extra sharp to boot. Scorpion chuckled.
"Nice to meet you too, Tomas. Can I call you two by first names or do you prefer code names?" he asked.
"First names are fine with us, unless we're around non-clan members," Kuai Liang replied. "The only reason Bi-Han uses his code name and title is for respect."
"Fair enough, as it should be," Scorpion answered with a nod. "What next?" Bi-Han smiled a bit at that.
"We will give you a sparring partner to test your fighting skill. What is your weapon of choice?" he asked.
"Sword, throwing daggers, and a chained kunai," he replied. He had at first thought he shouldn't mention the kunai since that was his male self's signature weapon, but then remembered it was a decently common weapon in Japan, especially amongst assassins and mercenaries. Besides, it's not like they were instantly going to assume he was Scorpion in a woman's body. That's not really something that happened on the daily. Bi-Han nodded thoughtfully.
"Tomas, please fetch Senior Master Wyvern. I think they will be a good match." Tomas bowed and hurried off. Bi-Han looked down at Scorpion, though he was still decently tall for a woman. "I will assess you and decide where you will rank. We have Trainees, Masters, and Senior Masters. Then we also have a select few Senior Masters that serve as my advisors and will watch the clan if I am not here or will act as guards for when I leave, if they come along. They are the best of us."
"Wonderful. Let's get started," Scorpion replied, sounding a bit more serious. He lightened his tone with a smile, which Bi-Han returned.
"Yes. Let's."
A/N: Alright folks! That is the start of this fic! Whoo! Starting stuff is both so fun and so stressful! But I think this will be a fun one. Don't expect super regular or fast updates, but I will do my best! Like I said, this is for fun and I'm just doing it as an exercise between my original fiction. Plus, I miss writing fanfiction and I miss my Lin Kuei boys. :)
I will continue the fic with Scorpion using she/her pronouns from now on, to make it easier when she's around male ninja, just so you know!
Read and review darlings! Let me know what you think of this new premise! What did you like about the old Womanizer? What are you looking forward to in this new version, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished? Let me know!
See you next time!
-JJ
