From the sight alone, Kung Jin could already feel a tight knot in his throat.
He could feel the tension that pulled even tighter across his chest.
Tension he tried to blame on the change in altitude, the change in atmosphere- on being so close to the Jinsei, on being so close to Raiden, who was still emitting uncontrollable energy into the air around them.
Every cold breath he pulled in brought the sensation of static burning across his tongue.
And it was a sensation that felt a little too familiar.
The Jinsei courtyard had been cleansed of blood and battle by the heavy rain.
But the damage to the tiles, to the exterior of the temple remained.
And that was enough to serve as a placeholder for the memories of that final battle, the same ones that came crawling back over his skin.
Now that he was here, now that he was back, Kung Jin found that it wasn't the red vortex engulfing Earthrealm that was plaguing his memories of being here again. The image of it had dominated his thought process back at the Wind Temple; it still did to some extent, but it wasn't the imagery that was making his chest feel even tighter now.
It was the flash of lightning all around them.
The stark-white bolts that seemed to coincide with the glowing energy of the Revenant who had been patrolling around outside.
Who had been waiting for them, anticipating their arrival- and having planned accordingly for it.
Kung Jin could still remember just barely evading the Revenant enough to get inside of the Jinsei.
He could still hear the clash of combat behind him as Jacqui and Takeda provided cover, attempting to keep the Revenant back for as long as they could- to buy as much time as they could.
And thankfully, it was long enough.
Although at a considerable, and perhaps permanent, price for the two.
It was one thing to hear stories about the Revenant, but it was another thing to see them.
And another thing to be so close to them.
He tried to shake off the memory of seeing Kung Lao, the once revered Champion and pride of his family, in the same image of the Revenant.
Kung Jin had only seen the man through the portraits his grandmother had around her home. There weren't that many, but Lady Hainan always said that Kung Lao was notoriously difficult to get to stand still long enough for one to be painted; she had four in total, all of which she kept for herself. What little he knew of his should've-been Uncle was from the stories he heard Lady Hainan tell him, and even they were few and far between.
And then, once she passed, and his father took over as the family Headship, every portrait was destroyed, and every story silenced.
What little evidence there was of the former Champion was erased.
Kung Jin always thought it was cruel for a man to do that to his own brother, to his own flesh and blood.
And then he remembered what his father had done to him, to his own son.
He had to join the Shaolin just to hear someone speak Kung Lao's name again, just to hear more stories about the man. And the stories that Fujin, Raiden, and Master Bo'Rai Cho told were far different from the ones that he had grown up with.
They painted a different picture of Kung Lao.
One created from a place of love, of respect, of evident frustration- and debilitating agony.
And yet, the man he saw standing under the rain, standing with Shinnok at his back, looked nothing like the person Kung Jin had envisioned. He knew it wasn't the same person, but that image was forever burned into his memory as a first impression. For just a split moment, he almost understood why his father threw everything away and hid the truth.
"Jin?"
Fujin's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Kung Jin released the man's hand out of reflex and felt the subtle ache in his knuckles that followed. He wasn't surprised that he had been death gripping Fujin's hand, he was just curious on how long he had been doing so. At least long enough for Fujin to notice, which really didn't mean much either.
He felt the immediate chill that took the place of warmth.
"This place looks like shit," Kung Jin remarked, speaking before he should've.
"Can you blame it?" Fujin asked in response.
Given that he knew what had happened here, and had been here during that time, he couldn't.
Without speaking further, the Wind God started across the courtyard and headed towards the temple entrance, to which Kung Jin followed.
With the exception of the rolling thunder in the distance, and their own minor conversation, the place was eerily quiet.
Which was the usual setting for the Jinsei, but this felt far different from normal.
As they moved towards the temple, just barely getting themselves under the protective overhang, Kung Jin noted the absence of the monks who resided here and tended to the keep. He was used to seeing them outside, meditating under the powerful aura of the Jinsei chamber and keeping a passing eye on Raiden's movements around the temple.
They were always silent and yet, their absence now made the temple seem even quieter.
He figured they must've moved elsewhere.
Perhaps inside now due to the storm, although the usual rain around the Jinsei Temple never made them budge from their meditation. They might've moved down to the Wu Shi Temple at the foot of the mountain, to give Raiden and the Revenant their space.
The hopeful thought was dashed as soon as the two of them stepped into the temple.
As soon as his eyes saw the scorch marks and pyre remains laid out across the opening room. What remained of each cremation showed how each one had been laid out in neat rows and columns, filling up the room.
It was the first time Kung Jin realized that the monks here had been slaughtered by the arrival of Shinnok and the Revenant.
It seemed obvious now that he could see the evidence in front of him, but the thought of it had never crossed his mind.
He didn't see the bodies when they were here before; he had assumed that either Raiden or Bo'Rai Cho had ordered them to leave just before arrival.
Kung Jin didn't bother to count how many remains he saw.
He didn't want to know the number.
Fujin had stopped at the sight himself but said nothing as he continued on through the room and stepped into the adjoining corridor.
The Wind God didn't have to say anything.
The tight clenching of his fingers into fists at his sides said enough.
The Jinsei Temple had always been quiet in comparison to the other temples, but there had always been people here. There had always been a sense of life, a sense of movement wherever you were on the temple grounds.
It never felt like you were alone here.
But it certainly did now.
And that crawling stillness brought attention to the tension in the air around him.
To the static that now felt more prominent as it ran across his skin from every direction.
"It's quiet," Fujin spoke.
The building silence had been enough to draw the Wind God's concern now.
Which made him a little concerned now as well.
"Is there anyone even around anymore?" Kung Jin remarked.
He was fully aware of how his comment sounded, especially given the funeral hall they had just left behind them.
But perhaps it just added to his question.
After all, one person couldn't have handled a mass ceremonial cremation like that.
Kung Jin knew that Master Bo'Rai Cho should be around somewhere, especially given that Fujin had just spoken to the man not that long ago. But if the Shaolin Master was present, he would've made himself known by now. The man had sharp hearing and even sharper focus on how the energy around him shifted with an approaching presence. And given the amount of energy Fujin had used to get here, they would've been impossible to ignore.
Not to mention, it wasn't like Master Bo'Rai Cho was an easy man to hide.
"I would hope so."
Moving beyond the funeral hall revealed that the rest of the temple seemed to be in shambles.
From the adjoining corridor, Kung Jin could see through the crumbling walls into other corridors, into other rooms around them. He could feel the slight sag of the floorboards underneath him as they walked, and the low groan of creaking wood set off old memories of sneaking through dilapidated buildings. He had gotten pretty good at being able to judge a floors stability based on sound and shifting the weight of his feet.
The temple was still stable for the time being.
But the time on that was counting down as he found himself walking through thin puddles growing across the floorboards.
The roof must've collapsed somewhere.
And the floor either above or below them was in worse shape from the intruding rain.
Kung Jin thought that Shinnok had only come here for the Jinsei itself, but it seemed as though the former God had made a grand entrance by tearing through the temple on his way there- making a show of his power.
Or perhaps, he had allowed the Revenant to deal the damage.
Either way, Kung Jin once more found himself underestimating just what exactly had happened here.
As the two of them moved deeper into the temple, bypassing what few interior structures and what little decor remained, he could feel the air getting heavier around them. He knew why and he knew that he should've expected it- and yet he was still surprised at just how heavy the air was.
It felt like a struggle to breathe every now and again, to pull in air that felt like rocks in his lungs.
It rattled around in his chest.
It reminded him of the Jinsei, blistering red, of the heat in his throat.
"Fujin?"
A voice called out, breaking the deafening silence.
Interrupting him from saying the same name.
Interrupting him from telling Fujin that he couldn't go much further into the temple.
The voice caught the two of them off-guard and Kung Jin noted that they both stopped on the same foot and at the same time. He watched as a figure stepped out from around the corner ahead of them, no doubt finally drawn in by the sudden flux of energy that had been put of during the Wind God's teleport.
It had certainly taken someone long enough to notice.
Even at a distance, Kung Jin recognized the black hair and purple attire immediately.
"Li Mei," Fujin called in return, recognizing the woman as well as he moved forward to greet her.
For the first time in weeks, maybe even a month now, Kung Jin realized just how odd it was to see someone who wasn't Fujin.
"I thought I heard you," Li Mei spoke as she made her way towards them, eventually reaching out to take the Wind God by the hands as soon as she could. "It's been too long, Fujin. It's good to see you are well- all things considered."
"The pleasure is mine," Fujin replied. "I didn't know you were around."
"Oh, when am I ever not around?" Li Mei chuckled. "Bo'Rai Cho asked for my assistance after you took your departure. I asked him not to say anything about me since I knew you would just come back."
"You know me too well."
It really wasn't surprising to find the woman here.
She had a tendency of spending her time between Sun Do and the Jinsei, helping out whenever she could. And given Raiden's seemingly endless list of things to do, she was never without work. She was one of the few Consultants between Outworld and Earthrealm that wasn't solely through the Special Forces- although she toed the line around General Blade quite carefully.
"Oh, Jin," Li Mei started as she moved to him now and quickly pulled him against her before he could resist.
She barely came to his shoulders, which forced him to lean somewhat forward with the gesture. Despite the size difference though, she was a lot stronger than she looked and Kung Jin found it easy for her to lock him in place- which was exactly what she did. He figured the tight squeeze of her grip was out of relief, out of not seeing or hearing from him for quite some time now.
And he had figured out a long time ago that it wasn't worth trying to wrestle himself out of it.
"Hopefully Fujin hasn't been boring you with his stories this entire time," she spoke.
"Once more, my knowledge is wasted on mortals."
"Ah, still sensitive about it then," Li Mei chuckled, before she pulled away from him and moved her hands to cradle his face. And it was all too evident that she was looking him over, looking for something. "You're looking better, that's a good sign. Are you getting enough sleep? You still look pale."
Instantly into overbearing mode.
"I don't know if you've noticed, Li Mei, but there's no sun out- and there hasn't been a sun for awhile now," Kung Jin reminded, to a bemused expression. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me."
"I always have to worry about you."
Li Mei had always acted like a surrogate parent to him, and he was pretty certain that's how she saw herself; he preferred to think of her as more of an Aunt.
He used to stay with her from time to time when he lived in Outworld. It was never for too long, just more of when he was traveling and between things- and when it was too much of a hassle to travel back to the city. She always had a door open for him and was always relieved to see him, but that didn't stop her from being disappointed at the same time.
Li Mei always wanted him to stick around for longer. She always insisted that she wanted to keep an eye on him, to keep him out of trouble- something that, by that point in his life, was a little too late to do.
Kung Jin had always been quick to remind her that she was too busy as Headship of Sun Do to keep an eye on him successfully.
And that he would always find a way out from underneath her watchful eye, one way or another.
She never did argue for long, but she always remained persistent with the idea that he would fit in well with the village.
And that should he change his mind, there would always be a place there for him.
He knew she was just looking out for him, that she felt the need to keep him safe whenever she could.
And despite their back-and-forth ribbing, it felt nice to know that there was someone who cared enough about his safety to give a shit- even if it meant picking a fight with him every time about it.
"Is Master Bo'Rai Cho around?" Fujin asked. "I spoke with him not too long ago."
"He's at the Jinsei right now," Li Mei answered. "But if you spoke with him before, he may not want to see you now."
"Unfortunately, he does not have a choice."
Li Mei gave a sigh and shook her head at the Wind God's defiance. "Have at it then," she offered, as she now slipped an arm underneath Kung Jin's own and leaned against his shoulder. "Tell me, Jin, what will you be doing while Fujin starts a fight that I will have to hear about later?"
"You have no faith," Fujin quipped.
"And neither do you," she replied, before she held up her other hand in mock surrender. "Go, I cannot stop you. Bo'Rai Cho will be glad to see you are back. He'll be able to fill you in on everything better than I can- and he could do with some new company himself. I can only keep him entertained for so long before he goes back to staring into the Jinsei."
Kung Jin caught Fujin's eye as the man looked to him.
Admittedly, this wasn't exactly part of their deal, but then again, neither of them knew what to expect when they got here.
They would just have to adapt.
"I'll be fine," Kung Jin assured, as he squeezed an arm around Li Mei's shoulders. "I'll keep Li Mei busy."
"Now that is a task."
There was a strange oddity in watching Fujin depart, in realizing that this would be the first time in weeks that they had been separated by more than just a room or a few hallways.
He tried not to focus on the feeling.
But as the man inevitably disappeared from sight, it was impossible to ignore the growing knot in his chest.
"Well?"
The small question was enough to force him to blink, to force him back into the bleak reality around him.
Kung Jin looked back to Li Mei and offered a shrug in answer. "I didn't really plan for anything," he admitted. "I just knew that Fujin wouldn't come back here unless I came back with him."
"You're a martyr," she teased.
He rolled his eyes at her remark and heard her laugh. "If it's possible, I'll probably try to get checked out at some point to see if I'm secretly dying or not," Kung Jin continued. He moved his other hand to his neck, still feeling the tight pull from his shoulders. It felt a little worse now, a little tighter- something he blamed on the tense atmosphere around them.
He felt Li Mei pull away and felt her hand move to cover his own.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's fine- it's just a little tight," he quickly defended. "And given how this place feels, I'm not surprised. It's probably just a, you know, a phantom pain kind of thing or something."
"You shouldn't overlook it," she advised- quick to parent once more. "The Special Forces set up a line of transport between here and the ground. I can get you down there and taken care of."
"Just like that?" Kung Jin questioned, admittedly a little surprised that it seemed that easy. "Why would the SF set up transport here?"
"Long story," Li Mei answered, seemingly waving his question off for the time being. "Come on, let's get you off this mountain before Fujin and Bo'Rai Cho bring their conversation up here."
"Are we going to have this argument every time I'm over here?"
Kung Jin caught the roll of her eyes as Li Mei stood in the open doorway between the two rooms, having disregarded what she was previously doing to come argue with him. He was trying to get his things together and packed before the sun rolled over into the afternoon, but given how their conversations usually went, he didn't foresee that happening.
"I'm just reiterating," Li Mei spoke, her arms crossed at him now, finishing off the irritated look she was shooting at him.
Of course, the subtle twitch at the corners of her lips assured him that, despite her stern outward appearance, she was well aware of her own behavior- and not the least bit surprised that he would call her out on it.
Again.
As he did every time they had this same conversation.
She sighed and dropped her hands to her waist now. "You know I don't like the idea of you running around Outworld the way you are. It's dangerous. You could disappear one day and I'll never know until it's too late- and then I'll spend the rest of my life wondering where you went."
"But has that happened?" Kung Jin countered.
"Not yet."
She was always sharp with the quick rebuttals.
"I know you're worried, Li Mei, but I can watch after myself," he assured, although knowing well the words wouldn't get him anywhere. "And, as much as I love spending time with you, I'm not going to drop everything to come live in your hippie village."
"You wouldn't know a day of peace if it slapped you in the face, Jin," Li Mei replied, chuckling softly now as she turned to move back into the kitchen behind her, to finish whatever it was she was doing in there. "Sun Do would love to have you here. You're a good shot with that bow and if you get skilled with a skinning knife, you'll make for an even better hunter."
"Because that's what I want to do with my life," Kung Jin called over his shoulder as he went back to packing his things. "I want to be the guy who shoots overgrown pigs in someone's garden."
"Hey! Those wild hogs have been a real issue this year!" she called back in response. "They're also feeding the Leechsnake population, which is creating its own mess of problems- which could be solved by a good hunter!"
He couldn't help but laugh at her reasoning.
He had killed a couple wandering Leechsnakes the month or so before, figuring it was the least he could do to return her hospitality.
The whole damn village made a spectacle out of it.
"It's better than grave robbing," Li Mei retorted.
"Hey, it pays good!" he replied back. "Besides, your Bo'Rai Cho friend needed my services, didn't he?"
He heard the loud groan she gave in response.
"Don't remind me. I understand his reasoning, but I wish he hadn't done that."
Tying off the last of his bags, Kung Jin holstered them over one shoulder before he moved to join her in the kitchen. He paused to lean against the door frame as he watched her move about the counter, looking as though she was packing things herself. "Are we done here? May I leave now?"
"No."
A quick, short objection.
He watched as she glanced over her shoulder at him before she returned to her work.
"At least let me finish packing you something for the road."
Kung Jin knew better than to turn her down- and he knew better than to try and sneak out the back of the house.
"And people are always questioning why you never had kids," he remarked.
Another groan came in response.
"Some people don't know how to stay in their own business," Li Mei retorted. "I'll tell you the same as I tell everyone else. I could've had kids if I wanted to, but things don't always work out the way they should. And to be frank, it's not up to me to fix that. Besides, I'm quite happy with my life as it is- and I wouldn't be able to do half the things I am these days if I was busy watching someone other than you."
"Ha ha."
She chuckled at his sarcastic response.
He should've figured she would find a way to throw it back on him.
"What exactly didn't work out?" Kung Jin asked.
"Why do you want to know?" she countered.
"I figured if I asked enough awkward questions then you would let me leave," he replied.
"Oh, I'm not letting you get away that easily," Li Mei assured, shooting him another look over her shoulder. "I am a single woman in my forties running a village. I have heard every awkward question one can have about my life, my love life, or lack thereof, and my obvious lack of family life. There is no sense of privacy when it comes to someone like me."
"And now I feel awkward- and you wonder why I don't want to live in a village."
"You just don't want to deal with me on a daily basis," she reminded.
"Yeah, you're right about that," Kung Jin remarked. "Besides, if I moved in, someone might start a rumor that I'm your son."
Li Mei made a soft snort at his comment. "Well, with a name like yours, it wouldn't be out of the question."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
As soon as the question left his lips, Kung Jin caught the slight pull of tension that ran across the back of her shoulders. It didn't last long, just barely long enough for him to catch it before it was gone- and before she resumed what she was doing, almost as though it hadn't happened.
And for a moment, he questioned if it actually did.
"What's wrong with my name?" he pressed, asking the same question from a different angle now, hoping to get a response.
"Nothing is wrong with your name," she assured. "I was just..."
She didn't finish her sentence, which was odd.
Li Mei always finished what she was saying.
She went about packing for a few seconds before she stopped again.
Before she gave a heavier sigh and turned around to face him, looking strangely tired now as she did so.
"You're not going to let me get out of this one, are you?" Li Mei asked.
"Not anymore," Kung Jin replied.
She gave another chuckle, but it seemed more out of defeat than anything.
Wiping her hands off on her pants, a mildly nervous habit of hers, she leaned back against the counter now behind her. "This isn't exactly how I imagined this talk going- if anything, I was hoping to avoid it for much longer, if not entirely," she started. "But since you seem interested in why my life is like this-"
"I was just trying to annoy you," he corrected.
"I know, believe me- you have zero interest in this little village and even less interest in how I operate it," Li Mei chuckled, before her expression shifted into something a little more somber. "But you ask the same questions that everyone else does, and it just keeps bringing things up over and over again. I won't give them an answer for prodding, but I'll give you one."
Kung Jin felt an odd tight sensation in his chest at her words.
He wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say, or what she would even have to say to explain her comments from before. It wasn't like he wanted to hear anything, or make her feel like she had to tell him something. But he knew that she could just as easily withhold the information if she wanted to.
This seemed like something she had been holding on to for too long.
"I made the remark about your name because I was suppose to marry Kung Lao."
He heard her speak the words but it took much longer for him to process them.
For him to understand what she was saying.
And when it clicked, it felt like the entire world stopped spinning.
"So obviously, if we had had a child, it would've carried on your family name, which is why your name wouldn't be out of the question," she reiterated. "Unfortunately, I only had him for a little while- and it wasn't long enough to squeeze a baby out of him. And even if it was, it would've been out of wedlock and... the child would've grown up without a father."
It wasn't often that Li Mei rambled.
She usually did if she was concerned about something, or pissed off.
"You're serious?"
A lackluster response but Kung Jin had a hard time wrapping his head around it.
He had known Li Mei for years, ever since he first stepped foot into Outworld.
She had never once mentioned knowing anyone outside of his family except for him and Kung Lao- and even then, she only talked about him in reference to the Shaolin. There had never been a remark once about his Uncle outside of that. None that he could recall anyways.
"We were close growing up," Li Mei spoke. "We used to train together at the Academy; I wasn't exactly a student there, it was more of an exchange program kind of thing. Women weren't allowed but Master Bo'Rai Cho made an exception for me. Kung Lao and I... always sort of tip-toed around what was going on between us. I think we both knew what we wanted, it was just neither of us wanted to be the first to say it. We were young and inexperienced."
Kung Jin found himself listening and hanging on to every word.
"Once the Tournament came up and started getting closer, I think it really put your family on edge," she continued. "They were certain that Kung Lao was going to win, but they didn't know what would happen after. I think they wanted to marry him off as soon as the Tournament was over with, probably to keep him from running off with the White Lotus. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't come back- at least not soon enough. I had met your family before then and they approved of me early on- even before Kung Lao and I were certain of what we were."
Li Mei paused, seemingly to put her thoughts together.
Before she smiled to herself.
"Once he heard about the news, I told him not to let it go to his head," she chuckled. "I told him that once the Tournament was over with, we could take things slow and do things properly- and we would see where it went." Her smile faltered after the words. "Obviously, things didn't go as planned. But, despite my initial hesitation, I know I would've been happy with him."
Silence filled in after she was done speaking.
And grew enough to make him uncomfortable with it.
"I- didn't know about any of that," Kung Jin spoke.
Although given his family, he wasn't surprised it had been swept under the rug.
"It wasn't common knowledge- not outside of your family at least. And I'm not surprised they never brought it up again. Why would they?" Li Mei replied, before she turned back around to the counter behind her.
She quickly finished off whatever packing she was doing before she tossed a few containers into a bag and pulled the drawstring tight. Picking it up, she turned back and walked over to him, pushing the bag into his hands now.
"I couldn't keep him safe then. The least I can do is try to keep you safe now."
Kung Jin didn't realize just how much he hated hospitals until he was back inside of one.
Then again, it could've just been that he hated this hospital specifically.
It seemed a little extra to be here considering he wasn't exactly in any kind of emergency, or in critical condition of any kind. He just wanted a quick look over- more so to ease Fujin's worries than his own, but he wasn't above agreeing to it on his own terms as well.
Unfortunately, even with what little he saw, the military hospital seemed to be the only building opened around here.
It was also the only one with contact to the Jinsei Temple; a deal that he had no doubt was orchestrated by General Blade.
In all fairness, Kung Jin thought Li Mei was joking when she mentioned there being a line of transport between the mountainside and the ground. And when she brushed his question off, he thought she was just trying to buy herself some time.
And then she showed him where the Special Forces had installed some kind of rail-car of some sort to run down over the treetops. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it didn't really matter because it did actually get them to a small SF outpost stationed at the bottom. And by then he realized that it was too late to back out of what he thought had been a bluff.
At the very least, even with the weather, it seemed like a slow day inside of the hospital.
Although given that most of the base was underground now, by Cassie's words, he didn't think the medical staff had seen much action since the Jinsei incident.
There was really no sense in feeling weird about being here again, especially since this place already had his medical records and already knew firsthand what had happened to him. And yet, the feeling remained- and only seemed to worsen when a few of the on-site nurses managed to recognize him when he walked in.
Some of them seemed surprised to see him up and walking on his own.
Despite the fact that he had walked out of this place on his own initially.
Although he supposed that was subjective.
Kung Jin stayed inside for what felt like hours, dealing with a few nurses here and there while he waited for his test results to come back. He found out he still really hated being alone in a hospital room, but he kept getting shooed back in every time he tried to leave- even if he just wanted to take a quick walk and promised to stay within the same hallway.
The test results were both good and bad, but nothing serious enough to land him back in the hospital.
He was able to leave on his own, but not without taking even more pill bottles with him- for smaller, non-urgent issues this time around.
He still hated the weight of them in his pockets though.
"I take it you're well enough to leave since they're not wrestling you into one of those rooms," Li Mei spoke the moment he had stepped outside.
Kung Jin wasn't all that surprised that she had been waiting this entire time for him. It didn't seem like she had much else to do- or maybe she just wanted a break, a change in scenery from what the Jinsei had to offer.
He couldn't blame her for that.
"I'm alive," Kung Jin replied.
"And?" she pressed.
He also wasn't surprised that she would press him for more answers.
"And I'm maintaining consistency with it," he finished.
"Jin-"
"I've got some minor issues here and there, but nothing serious- and nothing that's surprising," Kung Jin answered, mostly to appease her. "Everything's healed up fine, including the poison wound. I even gained ten pounds back."
"But how much did you initially lose?" Li Mei asked.
"Like I said, clean bill of health," he replied, evading the question.
She put her hands up to let the topic drop.
"What about your neck?" she asked, shifting the conversation.
"That's a little pushy, but my neck is fine," Kung Jin replied, finding himself rubbing at it again. "There isn't any tension in it, or swelling, or anything like that- and that's all I care about. I think it's just going to be like this for, you know, the rest of my life."
Admittedly, it was still aching.
But he had passed it off to the doctor as a change in altitude, maybe even something spurred on by the weather, or by his sleeping pattern- all of which went by without question. He wasn't going to tell the man the real answer, but he danced around it enough and the examination went through without issue.
Although, medical examination or not, he still didn't like the prodding fingers around his neck.
"Well, not stellar but still good. I'd hate to keep delivering bad news," Li Mei remarked, as her hands moved to his own for a brief squeeze; her telltale sign of relief. "Come on, let's sit somewhere while the weather's calm. You and I could both use the fresh air."
Kung Jin didn't argue.
She mentioned fresh air, but he was pretty certain she just wanted company.
The two of them found a covered bench out in front of the hospital, near a small garden path, and took refuge there. Kung Jin was pretty certain the area was a break spot for the nurses inside, especially given the amount of soaked cigarette butts that had been tossed into the loose rocks around the bench. Then again, he doubted any of them had been able to come out here in awhile.
"Be honest with me," Kung Jin started as soon as they were both settled in. "How bad are things around here?"
"They're not bad," Li Mei answered, although a little too quick for him to believe. "But- they will be. Right now, everyone is healing, everyone is recovering; it's an improvement given what has already passed. So, for the time being, things are good. Earthrealm is still alive, as are many of the people who were threatened by the invasion- yourself included. But the future isn't looking bright."
Li Mei always had a way of answering things.
A mix between optimism- and point-blank honesty.
"How bad?"
She gave a quiet sigh and leaned back into the bench; one hand fiddling with a clasp on the front of her shirt. "We don't know how the Revenant will react once they're awake," she started. "I've spoken with Jackson and Grandmaster Kuai Liang to try and get some insight on what to expect. I didn't find their answers comforting, but both seem to be well-adjusted given what happened to them. But they're only well-adjusted now, almost two decades after the fact. I don't know if... the Revenant now will last two more decades."
Blunt honesty.
The words weren't easy to swallow, but he had to appreciate that Li Mei didn't try and sugarcoat things for him.
"I keep calling them Revenant. That's not what they are anymore."
Kung Jin started to move an arm around her, but felt Li Mei beat him to it.
He felt her arm around him before she tugged him into her.
"Grandmaster Kuai Liang said that when he was initially rescued, Quan Chi's energy was slowly siphoned out of his body, giving his conscious time to come back and restore who he was. Even Jackson agreed that it was more than likely a defining factor in him knowing who he was when he woke up," Li Mei continued. "And once more, the ones we have now didn't get that kind of comfort. Quan Chi's control over them was snapped the instant he was killed, and then the Jinsei eruption purged Earthrealm of Shinnok's energy- both of which happened in rapid fashion. They went from being under full control to... to being nothing."
She was looking at this situation from different angles.
From angles he never even considered.
And maybe her isolation had driven her to that kind of paranoid overthinking, but it didn't deter what she was saying, what she was proposing. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for any conflict that might arise, that might occur once the former Revenant were awake.
The rapid exchange of energy had to have felt like whiplash to them.
"They've been unconscious this entire time, but they're alive, they're breathing- both of which are great signs given the trauma," she spoke. "But there's no telling how long they can survive without that power keeping them alive, keeping them sane. Twenty-five years in the Netherrealm would be enough to drive any person insane, but I'm not convinced that it wasn't Quan Chi's magic doing that either."
"You think they're going to be crazy when they wake up?" Kung Jin asked.
"I don't think they're going to know who they are when they wake up," Li Mei clarified.
A reasonable concern.
One he had heard Fujin bounce around once or twice.
"Do you think they'll still be pissed off at Raiden?" he questioned.
"That's one of many things I'm afraid of," she nodded. "I'm afraid that they'll wake up not knowing who they are, and yet still be consumed by the hatred they have for Raiden. I'm afraid that their one goal of killing him won't be gone even without Quan Chi or Shinnok enforcing it."
That wasn't entirely promising.
"What about-"
"Raiden's in just as bad of shape as they are," Li Mei answered before he could finish. "He's still recovering from his fight with Shinnok and from cleansing the Jinsei. He didn't get to heal once everything was over with- and he's barely healing now with how erratic his energy is. And there's only so much I can do for him. Bo'Rai Cho's been looking into alternative methods, but nothing so far has been holding up."
Things were a lot worse than he thought, than he had previously imagined.
Not that he thought Raiden could just walk away after everything that had happened.
Hell, he didn't even see the aftermath of the ordeal- and if he did, he couldn't remember it.
"Couldn't Fujin heal him?" Kung Jin asked.
"It's possible- but given Raiden's state, we don't know if it may cause a reaction between them," she replied, almost too quickly once more. Her rapid responses gave away to just how much of this she had already thought of before his questioning. "The last thing we need is to lose both of Earthrealm's protector Gods, especially at a time like this."
"What if he brings it up?"
"Then I hope Bo'Rai Cho can talk him out of it," Li Mei answered, and he felt the gentle shrug she gave with it. "Or maybe you can. And if not, then maybe I can- but with a little force."
Kung Jin chuckled at her response.
Knowing Li Mei, she could go toe-to-toe with Fujin.
"If the idea comes to him, we both know he won't be talked out of it," Kung Jin remarked.
"Oh, I know," she sighed. "Fujin is always willing to listen, but not always willing to take advice. It's a stubborn trait that I'm sure he learned from spending too much time around us mortals."
"Maybe just around you," he quipped.
"If we weren't outside a hospital right now-"
He chuckled again at her mock anger. "It's still early, maybe something will work out," Kung Jin offered. "Otherwise, we're kind of fucked."
"Ah, I thought you were beginning to sound too optimistic there," Li Mei remarked, chuckling herself despite the lingering somber tone- although it didn't take long for it to settle over again. "I know I've said a lot and I know that most of it isn't good news. But you've been pretty isolated as of recent, and given your relation, I thought it was only fair that you should know all of this. It wouldn't be right to you otherwise. And while I know Fujin has the best interest at heart, I don't know if he would tell you everything like I had. I just want to know how you're feeling about this whole situation."
Kung Jin knew what she wanted to ask him, and he was a little surprised that she didn't just outright say it.
Then again, he could also understand why she wouldn't.
"I should be asking you that," he replied instead, evading the question for the time being. "You've been keeping an eye on this whole situation- and I'm sure it hasn't been easy for you to see all of the former Revenant like they are."
"It hasn't," she answered, quick and honest. "They look nothing like the people I remember. And I guess I take some comfort in the hope that they won't remember who they are either. Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond relieved that they're finally home; this whole situation is like a long-awaited pray finally answered. But I'm not naive enough to believe that things will be roses from here on out. I may still live the rest of my life without the closure I desperately sought out."
Blunt once more.
But honest- painfully and strictly honest.
"You didn't answer my question."
And yet, she was quick to turn it back around on him.
"I don't really have an answer to give you," Kung Jin spoke, offering a shrug with the lackluster response. "You're not the first to ask me though, so I'll give you the same answer I gave to Fujin. I didn't know any of them. And other than that brief skirmish at the Jinsei, I still don't know any of them. The only knowledge I have is what I've heard through stories, or what I've read off of General Blade's dossiers."
He paused and rubbed at the side of his neck once more.
He could still feel the cold impression of fingers prodding at his skin.
"You knew Kung Lao better than I did, Li Mei."
"I did."