Chapter Four: Similar
He refused to look down. Scorpion instead focused on the trees ahead and denied a body was in his arms. He ignored the temptation to drop the woman— the body and walk away.
The sun was shining, the sky too blue, and the path was a simple dirt trail. Definitely Earthrealm. Scorpion started up a hill and soon enough saw huts' rooftops. Foreign yells, clucking chickens, and the hustle and bustle in general drifted up. His mood darkened when knowing he would need to speak to the people in order to get this female help.
By the time he was halfway down the hill, the village was in full view. A crowded street filled with bread sellers and fruit givers; smoke, spices, and animal dung filled Scorpion's senses. The heat from all the commotion wafted around him even though he was still twenty feet from the market street. Of course, Raiden had to pick a crowded village.
Heads turned, eyes bore into his back once he passed them, and some downright stopped and gawked. An aged couple scurried off when he met their eyes but the rest of the street remained staring; one man didn't even notice the grains in the basket he held was pouring to the ground. It was when a woman gasped and put her hands over her mouth Scorpion understood. The people weren't looking at him but the wo— the body.
The Shirai Ryu sneaked a glance. Her skin looked like an infective rash consumed it. Purple bruises accompanied the patches of vivid red, dark blood dripped through cuts along her arms. Scorpion then noticed the street had settled to whispers and murmurs. Eyes flickered back and forth, first to the body, then him. Coincidentally, the woman stirred in his arms and a long, dry moan escaped her.
Scorpion looked to the person closest to him and approached while asking for directions. The man had a heavy accent, but the spectre managed to shoulder his way past a gathering crowd and navigate the building he had described.
News must've already traveled, for the second Scorpion entered the infirmary five people swarmed around him. Hands brushed against him and foreign muttering filled his ears, making Scorpion step back. A weight change in his arms made him look back at the group, only to see one of them carrying the girl to a bed. For what reason, Scorpion stood there and watched as the medics brought in materials while one woman started stripping the girl's clothes.
He immediately turned and went out the door. This time, only half the amount of eyes stared but returned to their normal business. For moments, Scorpion glanced around and was about to step into the street when one of the nurses called "sir". Reluctantly, he turned and saw her gesturing him to come back inside. He remained there for a minute, hardly noticing the way she flinched when he looked at her. Unclenching his fists, he made his way through the door she'd held open for him.
The room was clear of medics and the woman was concealed in blankets. The nurse gestured towards a row of chairs set up against the wall opposite of the beds. Scorpion chose the one furthest from the girl, which happened to be the chair nearest to the door. The nurse – to his irritation - followed while checking off the brat's symptoms. Because Scorpion really didn't care, he tuned the woman out. Finally, she walked into a separate room, leaving Scorpion alone with the unconscious female and a frazzled man, whom Scorpion noticed half an hour later.
His eyes twitched, but Scorpion strained them to remain fixed on the floor. He could go back outside, though the forest was a far walk from here, and he didn't want another dozen eyes gawking at him while he would shove his way through a crowd. From the corner of his eye, the woman stirred.
It actually made it worse, sitting from afar. It made their resemblance look all the more the same. Scorpion's eyes twitched once more and he found himself looking at the woman's face. Memories of his wife flashed before his mind, but Scorpion quickly distracted himself by looking at the hair. It was a lighter shade – nothing like his wife's - but the face and the eyes-
He stopped and growled. His wife was dead, she was nothing more than an ignorant brat he was being forced to baby-sit by a Thunder God. Scorpion pushed himself off his chair and stormed out into the sun. The volume of the crowd exploded around him. Everything was a blur, but his legs kept moving around clumps of villagers until he saw the hill and tree line. When Scorpion reached the peak of the hill, a bolt of lightning struck his path.
"Scorpion, you were assigned to watch over the girl. Breaks are not allowed," Raiden said.
The yellow clad ninja took a step forward. "Step aside, Raiden."
"You must calm yourself, Scorpion. I realize the memories of this girl and your wife-
"My wife is dead. My family is dead. She is only a girl!" he spat. Scorpion took another step, only to cause the god's eyes to spark.
"But you must continue your task. It is extremely risky, leaving a human from a different dimension unguarded, whether you leave for a minute or an hour."
"She is in the medics' hands, leaving me time for seclusion." Scorpion started to walk around Raiden, but the god grabbed his shoulder.
"I doubt it was a coincidence the girl was dropped in the Neatherrealm, let alone near you or that she resembles your past wife."
The spectre stopped. He shook off Raiden's hand and stepped back. "Quan Chi-
"Most likely. Shang Tsung is another possibility, but our first assumption seems more probable," Raiden said.
Though Scorpion didn't like the "our", he nodded. "Do you think he is here?"
"I believe he has escaped the Neatherrealm and is somewhere around Earthrealm, but not near here," he replied. "This village is highly populated so it slims the chances of anyone finding you or the girl."
"How long will I have to remain watching her?" Scorpion demanded. "I will gladly exit this task and search for Quan Chi myself."
"He is untraceable as of now, and until I find the portal of the dimension you are to remain her guardian," Raiden tersely said . "And I expect you to protect her well, even if she arises memories of yours."
Scorpion clenched and unclenched his fists. "If I am allowed to handle Quan Chi in the end, then I will guard the brat with purpose."
Raiden paused, staring long into Scorpion's eyes. "Only if." The sparks in the god's eyes died down and he crossed his arms. "I will return when the girl awakes. In the meantime, I shall watch you when possible."
In a flash, he was alone. Scorpion was still for a few seconds, and then stepped forward once more. Raiden's words echoed loudly in his mind: "I shall watch you when possible'. Sighing, Scorpion turned and went back down the hill.
Day and night he sat unmoving in the chair by the door. The nurses continuously offered him food or water; one even tried striking up a conversation. After the third night – though it took many death glares and even a growl – they finally accepted that Scorpion just didn't sleep, eat or talk.
He avoided looking at the female as much as possible. The only time he would glance was when the nurses would treat her with medicines unknown to him. Half of the time, Scorpion had his eyes closed from meditation, not caring who saw as long as they didn't approach. Luckily, the hospital didn't get many visitors, leaving Scorpion in a somewhat bearable silence. After four days, Scorpion had to repeatedly remind himself he was being watched by a god (and possibly the Elder Gods) to make himself remain inside the hospital. But an evening later, Scorpion seized the opportunity to sit outside when hearing the rare silence from the village.
Few were out, most packing up their market supplies, but to Scorpion's bliss he could hear the crickets. He sat cross-legged next to the infirmary's door, the light from the crescent moon soaking his uniform. He breathed in and out, eyes closed.
But his thoughts roamed.
Quan Chi could be anywhere… How would Raiden know if he was or wasn't near the area? But when Scorpion found him…
He unclenched his teeth as he distantly heard the last villager walk away. What was the sorcerer planning? Dropping a brat into Hell and having a god assign Scorpion to become the babysitter wasn't vengeance for his torment on Quan Chi. There was a larger reason behind this…
The woman. Thinking back, Scorpion almost scoffed at how idiotic he had been acting over this. She would not - could not - affect him or this "task" he had been forced into. After all the glimpses over the days, he realized she wasn't an exact replica of his wife. She was only…similar. But – Scorpion opened an eye - it was enough to raise unwanted memories in the spectre.
As soon as the first hen clucked, shouts echoed through the street, footsteps crunched against the hard dirt, and the mix of all the other villagers followed. Scorpion opened his eyes to squint at the sun. He rose to his feet and yanked the infirmiry door open. The quiet was nice while it lasted.
His footsteps thumped on the floorboards and Scorpion saw the chair ready for him. Out of the corner of his eye, something looked off. And it was too quiet, now that he realized. Scorpion stopped in his tracks. He looked over at the bed and saw that there were no nurses treating the brat. Scorpion looked up at the woman, only to see her eyes flutter open.
A/N: Thank-you to all who are reading/reviewing or have read/reviewed!