A/N: I dedicate this chapter to EmboldenRose. I'm glad we're fellow authors and keep up your great work on your Ermac story, Mystic of Wisdom! Which if anyone has not read should check out.

You may also want to read SweetSacrifice123's Alone Forever, an interesting idea involving our favorite spectre Scorpion :)

Chapter Five: Questions

For a moment, the room was very quiet. Before Scorpion could move, the girl's gaze sharpened on him. Before Scorpion could blink, she choked out a scream. She jerked back and pinned herself against the bed bars, pressing the covers against her heaving chest. Her eyes never left his; they remained wide, crazed, and hauntingly familiar.

"Y-you…bedroom…eyes..." she gasped.

Scorpion scowled in realization. She was delirious. White flashed by his eyes and the nurses were surrounding the bed, muttering in the village's dialect. Scorpion turned to leave, only to see Raiden standing in the doorway. The moment the god closed the door, Scorpion heard behind him the nurses halt and hush. The female's hyperventilating continued.

While he walked, Raiden spoke in the village's tongue. From the corner of his eye, Scorpion saw one nurse nod as the rest began to clear into the separate room. The only sound was the girl's wheezes and Raiden's footsteps as he approached the bed. Her eyes flashed back and forth between the god and Scorpion. "St-stay away!" she shrieked.

Raiden passed Scorpion and stopped a foot before the bed. He raised a hand - which she flinched at – and said, "I will not harm you. Nor shall Scorpion."

She glued her eyes to him again and Scorpion found himself glaring at both her and Raiden. The god's voice brought back her attention.

"My name is Lord Raiden. I am the protector of Earthrealm, which is the realm you are currently in. You were rescued by Scorpion and myself in the Neatherrealm and was transported to Earthrealm to heal—

"Heal? E-Earthrealm? What the hell are you talking about? ! Where am I? !" Her voice became shrill enough where it pierced Scorpion's ears.

Raiden, undeterred, knelt to the bed's level. The girl attempted to escape, but the god snatched her wrist. As she thrashed and pulled, a buzzing-like noise sounded. Raiden raised his free hand and Scorpion saw sparks of electricity glowing from it. Before the spectre could mentally question further, the blue sparks latched themselves onto the girl, who then went rigid. Currents of electricity slithered throughout the girl's body and glazed over her flesh. Her body started twitching and she squeezed her eyes shut as static obscured her form. Then, the light died away and the room became quiet again.

Scorpion immediately noticed the remaining bruises and blisters on the woman's face were absent. As were the cuts on her arms and the peeled pieces of dead skin. She opened her eyes, and not a second later, she was stroking her fully healed face and prodding her arms. She almost pushed away the covers – Scorpion tensed in alarm – when she seemed to remember her surroundings. Flushing scarlet, she gripped the covers and met eyes with Raiden.

"How...did you do that?" Her breathing had settled, but her eyes stayed alert.

Raiden stood. "I am also a Thunder God."

She gaped at him for a moment. And suddenly, as if she remembered his presence, the woman locked eyes with Scorpion. Since he was caught off guard by the abrupt eye-contact, Scorpion watched the color drain from her face.

"He...tried to kill me!" Her eyes burned into his. Scorpion couldn't tell if they burned with fear or rage.

"Scorpion is your guardian," Raiden said, and the young woman snapped her head to look back at him.

"No…" she said."I saw eyes just like his. Twice. First in my room, and then—

The blood she managed to recover fled her face as her eyes trailed away from the both of them.

"What do you recall from the last period you were conscious?" Raiden slowly asked.

The girl's mouth moved, but no words came out. On her third effort, Scorpion's ears picked up her whisper:

"Pain. Burning…like I've never f-felt before. I…I wanted to die." Her voice cracked and her next words became so quiet, Scorpion relied on lip-reading to understand. "Before that I...can't remember. But I think I was…running…"

"Who were running from?" Raiden asked.

Tears slid down her cheeks. "I don't know," she whispered. "I never saw him, her, whoever the hell it was. I tried escaping, but then I felt the heat."

"The time you encountered the heat was when you entered the Neatherrealm," Raiden said.

"What is Neatherrealm? Hell?" She shivered.

"It is a prison for those whose souls are corrupted with evil," Raiden explained. "But it is only meant for the beings of the six known realms, which the dimension you come from is not among those six. Had we not rescued you, you would have died."

For several moments, the young woman was silent. Scorpion kept his eyes trained on Raiden, though he could still see her from the corner of his vision.

"Why?" she finally said. "Why was I even taken to that…place? Who would try to kill me?"

Raiden shook his head. "I do not yet know. I was hoping to gain evidence from what you remembered to help solve the identity of your harasser."

A pause from the girl.

"I don't know if it's real, but..."

At those words, aggravation spiked up Scorpion's spine. He did not need more stalling time to stand there while he could be searching for Quan Chi—

"He – a...ninja – was in my room. And he had the same eyes as…him."

This time, Scorpion glared at the woman - who then cringed - for thinking something as preposterous of him being—

"And h-he was dressed in all black," she said hastily.

At the last word, Scorpion and Raiden exchanged a glance. They looked back to the brat.

"That's all I can remember," she stuttered.

Raiden nodded. "Thank-you. That memory of yours may have helped us come closer to solving this mystery."

"But, I still don't understand," she said. "Earlier I think you mentioned something about six…realms? And my, um, place where I come from isn't part of those six places? But you said 'Earthrealm', so wouldn't that mean I'm on Earth?"

Raiden shook his head. "No. Though your universe and Earthrealm are parallel worlds, I can sense your soul is out of place among the Earthrealm souls. Each demension has a distinct feel or sense of essance. And your essance has an off feel from the six realms. Your dimension you come from is in fact a newly discovered one."

"...What do you mean 'newly discovered'? Can't you take me back?"

The room became drenched with silence. Scorpion, who had been listening to the conversation involuntarily, now waited for Raiden to speak. He observed as Raiden stared only at the brat with a look similar to guilt.

"It is not that simple," Raiden admitted after a long minute. "Since your universe is so unknown, so unfamiliar, finding the correct portal to return you to your home world could take a long period of time."

"How long?" she voiced Scorpion's thoughts.

The god sighed. "Years at the most—

"Years… But… I can't… Isn't there a-another way a…shortcut… Anything?"

A tremor shook through Scorpion as he blocked anything and everything around him. With the exception of Raiden. Inferno blazed down Scorpion's arms, Hellfire sparked his senses. Years? Years to dawdle, babysitting a brat who he despised just as much as he did Raiden for what purpose? To put up with the god's incessant orders and to be watched by the Elder Gods while Quan Chi freely wandered outside of Neatherrealm? And he, the spectre, to remain trapped with another life to guard? The only thing that kept Scorpion from dismembering Raiden right then and there was the fact that he had yet to answer the brat's question.

"Unfortunately not," Raiden said. The flames consumed Scorpion's forearms. "There are billions of portals, leading to anywhere in all of the six realms. And another billion for the undiscovered realms. It is astonishing that such a rare portal to your realm was even found."

"Quan Chi had found it," Scorpion suddenly hissed. "He is a sorcerer…and you are a god!"

Raiden stared at Scorpion while the brat fastened her eyes on the flames, at the verge of screaming. Scorpion raised a fist at the god and said in a voice that felt calm compared to his state, "I demand to know everything you have been keeping from me."

The fire in Scorpion's fists crackled and spit; embers drifted to the floor, glowing red-hot. Raiden's eyes fell to where the ashes were gathering and said, "The portal is still possible to find. Though the task of searching is intricate - finding the correct time era, searching for the realm the portal was first conjured in – with the evidence added up, the amount of time to find the dimension decreases."

Raiden looked back at the girl. "I have been trying to locate your dimension's portal for the past week, though I cannot say how close or how far I am to discovering it. But with time, you will surely be returned to your realm."

Her eyes stayed fixed on Scorpion's burning hands. "I…I—

"Your remaining questions shall be answered tomorrow," Raiden said. "Tomorrow morning, you and Scorpion will depart from the infirmary. At present, I advise you rest for the day to contemplate everything you have learned. Scorpion," the god turned to him. "I must speak with you in private."

Scorpion closed his eyes and, with a sharp inhale, the Hellfire evaporated from his arms. But the heat remained. He opened his eyes and exited the hospital. Outside, the sun was centered in the sky and blazed down on the village. Scorpion stepped to the side and remained under the shade the building's eave provided. Moments later, Raiden stepped outside of the infirmary's door.

"The girl's name is Raina," he said as he made his way towards Scorpion.

"I will not guard the brat for years!" Scorpion snarled.

The god sighed. "I had said it would take years to find the portal at the most, Scorpion. Whether time will go for that long, you will continue to guard—

"Just because you are a god does not give you the right to control my choices!" Scorpion's arms burst into flame. His fist shot for the god's throat.

In a flash, Raiden disappeared. Predicting this, Scorpion whipped around to see the god glowing with electricity, arms crossed.

"Quan Chi is not your greatest concern as of now, Scorpion," Raiden said. "Your priority at this time is protecting the girl. If she dies, a rare soul as hers can start multiple conflicts of who will claim it. Wars across the realms could start. You may not care if these events happen, but if the soul is taken into the wrong hands, such as Quan Chi's—

"Then allow me to track him," Scorpion growled. "I will annihilate him—

"You do not have the ability to transport across the realms," Raiden said in exasperation. "I believe that is what he is doing to stay undetectable, and with my concentration on finding the portal, I cannot track the sorcerer. If I cannot find him, then you cannot find him. You are one with little concerns, so guarding a woman will not waste your time in finding Quan Chi."

The Shirai Ryu ground his teeth while the hellfire burned deep inside his bones. But he made no efforts to attack the god.

"I will warn you, Scorpion," Raiden continued. "Though I still cannot guarantee Quan Chi is the cause of all this havoc, you must watch the girl under all circumstances. If it is Quan Chi, he has the potential to persuade Shao Kahn into his biddings, meaning recruits could be tracking you two at this moment. Do not underestimate the danger her soul can hold. Do you have my word?"

So this was where everything stood. Scorpion would have to guard that damned woman until Raiden would find her portal, no matter what threats he hurled at the god. Quan Chi would be lurking in the shadows, hiding from him, sending warriors his way. So that was the sorcerer's way of revenge. Scorpion raised his fist to face and watched as gold flames burned into orange. Time was wasting no matter what. As Scorpion nodded once, the flames vanished. "You have my word, Thunder God."

Raiden stared long into his eyes and then nodded. "Once I am done speaking with the girl tomorrow, I will not have the time to check on you. I will be too preoccupied in tracking the portal, thus, if the girl is separated from you, you will be unable to seek my help."

Before Scorpion could reply, Raiden was gone with a bolt of lightning.

At first, Raina thought everything had been a nightmare. But she awoke to the same vivid white eyes. Memories of yesterday were a blow in the face. How she was in a place called "Earthrealm", the man with the hat, the gold ninja who could hold fire being her guardian…

She couldn't stifle her gasp in time and Raina watched as the man's eyes narrowed into a glare. Lucky for her, their stare-down didn't last long since the nurses came bustling into the room. As they separated the covers from her body, Raina remembered she was only wearing a transparent hospital-like gown. She started to protest and looked for the ninja man, only to just catch the exit door closing.

Half an hour later, after getting out of bed for the first time in a week – a week! – and being escorted to a bathing house, Raina was walking back inside the infirmly, tugging at her new garments: a plain white tunic and black leggings. Though the nurses had said they had been washed, the attire smelled musty. The straw sandals they had also given her were cutting into her soles, but they were better than no shoes considering how sore her feet were.

In fact, her whole body was sore. Raina had noticed this while bathing; but she realized she should've been feeling more than sores if that man – Ray-den – hadn't miraculously healed her. Her head spun at just thinking about everything that had happened to her in the past week.

Her bodyguard – Scorpion was his name? – was back inside, talking in a low voice with Raiden when Raina opened the hospital entrance door. She automatically looked to the ninja's hands, and to her relief saw they looked a normal, non-fire-coated.

"You look well." Raina looked up and saw Raiden advancing towards her. "From the outside, I could not tell a difference between you and an Earthrealm villager."

Raina forced a smile. "Thank-you. And I never got a chance to thank you about yesterday as well. For healing me," she said when Raiden gave her a puzzled look. "But...why did you do it? I'm in a hospital so I was going to heal anyways."

Raina then felt a pair of eyes scowling at her. She risked a glance and saw her bodyguard's masked face was the source. He looked away before she could, but she couldn't help but notice how his fists clenched. Fear then flooded through her. Had she said something rude?

"That is a good question," Raiden said. When Raina looked back, his eyes - which had no pupils, she'd noticed - were serious. "I had healed you to prove to you that you are no longer in your dimension. But you notice though your injuries are gone, you remain sore? I had purposely done that to remind you of what you could face later on. Expect many strange things in Earthrealm, Raina. As long as you do not bother anyone here, they will not bother you."

By those words, Raina had a feeling Raiden was referring to people like Scorpion rather than the local villagers. The memory of his flaming hands flashed in her mind again. "Yes, I will."

Raiden seemed to sense her unease. "You can trust Scorpion with your life, as he is a reliable warrior. Stay by his side whenever you can," he said.

This time, Raina refrained from looking at Scorpion. She would probably be glared at again.

"Do you have any other questions?" Raiden asked.

She had tons of questions, yet Raina shook her head. A split second after, a bolt of lightning struck inside the room. Raina jumped a foot in the air and screamed. When the blinding light cleared, she saw Raiden holding a sack that had certainly not been in the room before. She opened her mouth to ask how he had done it, but then she remembered he was a "Thunder God" as he had put it.

Raiden held the bag out to her. "Use it wisely."

She peeked up at Raiden, who waited. She reached for the sack and almost dropped it from its unexpected weight. Raina had to use two hands to hold it and had to set it on a nearby bed so she could pull the drawstring. What she saw inside made her jaw drop. Dozens upon dozens of gold, silver and bronze coins gleamed up at her. She almost reached down to touch one, but instead looked up at Raiden.

"I…I can't take this. It's so much money and when will I ever—

She stopped short as reality struck her. She wasn't on Earth anymore. Hell, Raina still didn't know where exactly she was. She didn't even have a place to live. Who knew how long she would be stuck here? Who knew how many bags of money Raiden would have to give her? She inhaled a long breath and whispered, "Thank-you."

Raiden stared at her for a moment, but Raina didn't care. She would rather be stared at by Raiden then glared at by Scorpion. Raina then realized she wanted Raiden to be her bodyguard instead.

"May the Elder Gods watch over you both."

All she could do was watch in astonishment as another lightning bolt thundered the room, this time taking Raiden with.

Once it was silent again, Raina pulled the drawstring tight and heaved the sack off the bed. Just as she did, Raina saw the door closing as Scorpion had left without her. She hurried out of the building and ran around the crowded street – though her muscles protested - until she saw his gold-clad uniform. She was huffing by the time she caught up to him.

He turned around so fast Raina almost ran into him. It was even worse being glared by Scorpion up close, considering how he towered over her. Raina couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, so she settled for his mask.

He snatched the bag from her hands. "Stay here."

Compared to yesterday, his voice was much calmer, yet more aggravated. Though she was standing in the middle of a crowded street, Raina obeyed and watched as he stalked off. She realized she'd been holding her breath the whole time and exhaled.

For several minutes, Raina waited in the baking heat. Though the village looked nothing like the city, it was just as busy. Her ears buzzed from all the hubbub and in a minute she was sweating. Other than dodging the hectic passer-bys, Raina didn't move. A few people would stop and stare at her for a moment and then continue on, making Raina wonder if she put her tunic on right.

After what she guessed was fifteen minutes, Scorpion hadn't returned. Raina looked around the street, but no masked faces were seen. Had something happened? Where had he even gone? Or had her bodyguard taken her money and abandoned her?

A basket was thrust into her hands. Raina registered medical supplies, a jug of water, a loaf of bread and some fruit and vegetables before she looked up at Scorpion. She glanced at the sack of coins that had also been placed in the basket (though it looked no smaller than before) and back at him.

"I… Thank-you." But Raina must've said something wrong, for another death glare was smoldered on her.

And then he was walking away.

Raina stared after him, flabbergasted. She weaved around the people until she was walking by Scorpion's side, though she felt no safety in that. His strides were long and quick; whether he walked like that on a daily basis or not, Raina tired in a matter of minutes. It was only when the heat no longer felt hazy and the smells of the market were distant, Raina noticed they were no longer in the village.

She looked over her shoulder and saw the street growing tinier. When she looked back, they were trudging up a steep hill. Perhaps there was another village over it? But when they reached the top, Raina saw the path leading into a dense forest. She stopped short, somewhat out of breath, while Scorpion continued walking.

"W-wait," she panted.

For a second, she thought he ignored her, but then he turned on his heel to face her. His eyebrows furrowed in impatience.

"Why are we going into the forest? Do you…have a house there?" Though Raina had a bad feeling the latter question would be answered with a no.

A crease formed between his eyes before he turned back around. "The less people around me, the better," he growled.

The reply made Raina understand two things about Scorpion: one, his tone alone said he didn't like stupid questions, or ones he considered stupid; and two, Scorpion wasn't a people person. Raina looked back at the village, then Scorpion, who was now entering through the tree line.

"You can trust Scorpion with your life, as he is a reliable warrior." Raiden's words rung in her mind.

Raina hesitated. She still didn't know who Scorpion was. And he seemed to hate her, so traveling alone with him wasn't a calming thought. But…she barely knew Raiden, yet she trusted him. If Raiden could trust Scorpion, then it must've meant something.

Gripping the basket's handles, Raina took a deep breath and followed Scorpion into the forest.