Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! I've sick this entire week but feel a lot better now. Anyways here's the next chapter, enjoy!
Their loud and agonizing screams echoed throughout the room until the intense heat from the flames that consumed their bodies burned their lungs. Another set of warriors were taken down with ease. The sickeningly sweet smell of their burned corpses did not stop him from his path of destruction. Charred remains bodies laid at his feet, limps were scattered everywhere. Scorpion looked around before feeling a strange presence rip him out of his current location. He wasn't the same emotionless wraith that didn't killed without a second thought. The haunting images of those he killed flashed before his eyes. Closing his eyes and yelling to block out the dead's taunts and images was useless.
"You are nothing more than a killer. You've slaughtered innocent lives, permanently scarred those who had the misfortune of living. Their blood is on your hands. As much as you despise the Lin Kuei, you and your clan's killers are the same."
He shot up from his bed and placed his hand over his chest. His heart was beating out of control, sweat drenched his upper body. Each breath he took didn't calm the wild palpitations his heart made. The quick successions of knocks on the door didn't help either. The room spun around him as he felt every drop of strength he had slip away. Kenshi and Maya's concerned voices were the last thing he heard before collapsing.
"He's been here and fine for almost two months and now this happens. I can't say I'm surprised. We've seen how he acts when something is bothering him and he doesn't talk to us about it. This was bound to happen." Maya told Kenshi. He stood at her side and watched her wave her hands over Hanzo's upper body. The white glow that surrounded her hands turned light blue every time her hand hovered over Hanzo's head and chest.
"Did he have a heart attack?" Kenshi asked before holding his breath to prepare himself for her answer. He exhaled when she shook her head. "What happened?"
"It was a panic attack, he must have relived something or had a nightmare. I reversed the effects so he's stable now. That was the easy part."
"Can you make them go away? If these nightmares reoccur and he has more panic attacks... I don't even want to think about what might happen."
"That's going to be the hard part. I can keep them away and speed up his recovery process and help him see he can have a better life than what he had before. There's always side effects. They're not going to effect him but they sure as hell going to fuck me up." Maya told him while rubbing her temples.
When it comes to healing physical wounds she would do it without a second thought. This was a habit that stuck with her since childhood and intensified during the Netherrealm invasion. The day Kenshi arrived with a scarred and unconscious Hanzo leaning against him, Maya rushed to their side and went to work without asking any questions. Emotional wounds were something she wanted to avoid healing at all costs. To avoid the side effects of emotional healing she would try an alternative methods she knew weren't as effective or pass it on to another healer at home. She doesn't have anyone to fall back on this time around.
"If it's too much for you to handle..." Kenshi paused when he saw her run her fingers through Hanzo's hair.
"I've been avoiding this for years, now's the time to suck it up and do what I'm supposed to do. Besides we told him that he has to do the same if he wants to get better, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't follow my own advice."
"Your situation is different than his. It's fine to not follow your own advice once in a while." He chuckled to lighten the mood but failed miserably.
"No, I've made up my mind. It's okay." She wore a thin smile on her face that matched the fear and sadness in her eyes.
"I'm sure you'll be fine." He bent down to kiss her cheek at the same time she turned her head. They recoiled and maintained an awkward silence after their lips connected.
"You could have just say thank you but alright." She laughed.
"I'll leave you to do your magic." Kenshi chuckled before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
Maya psyched herself up to keep her nerves at bay. "Here goes nothing."
"How are you feeling Hanzo?"
It took Hanzo a while to give Kenshi an answer. After the haunting nightmare and being overwhelmed to the point he fainted he expected to feel exhausted. Instead he woke up feeling calm. He didn't have any trouble getting up, showering, getting dressed, and eating. None of the intrusive thoughts that plagued when he didn't keep himself busy or in a quiet place filled his mind.
"Okay."
For the second time that day Kenshi was in the middle of an awkward silence. It would have been easier for him to talk about what happened the night before if Hanzo brought it up first. "You know we need to talk about this."
"I was waiting for one of you to come out here to get this over with. Usually patients are late to their appointments, not their therapist." The two men laughed. Kenshi and Maya did take on the role of his psychologists. It took them a while to get him to talk about what was eating him whenever he withdrew and isolated himself. Maya did her best to keep her end of their deal by being patient with Hanzo, but when he was rude to her she didn't hesitate to remind him who he was talking to.
"As much as I hate to admit this. The Lin Kuei and I do share something in common. Our hands are stained with the lives we've taken. We've murdered others without a second thought. They can never atone for their sins. The hatred I have for them for killing my clan and family will never go away. I cannot atone for the lives I've taken or destroyed. I can never redeem myself, no matter how many times you and Maya say I can or so I thought."
"Quan Chi used you to get what he wanted. It's the-" Kenshi started to say but Hanzo's long sigh made him stop.
"That was a lie I told you two. Everyday I try to convince myself that it is the truth but I can't do it anymore. I was in denial. There's no use in lying now. I'm ready to face the truth. I volunteered to be his minion. I was filled with rage that I knew being his pawn would allow me to make other people suffer as much as I. I will be full of anger that I will lash out at you two or overwhelmed by depression and self loathing that I contemplated suicide again. Which would never happen with you tapping into my thoughts and her trapping me in those barriers she can make without moving. I wanted all of the lives I've taken restored so I can return to the pits of hell and be tortured. Maybe I can redeem myself, I don't know. This is all confusing, this shouldn't be happening so quickly. It takes years to accept everything I've done and finding the strength to move on. I'm not complaining but it feels odd. I feel better now that this weight has been lifted off my shoulders but I'm still confused."
"Given the circumstances I can't say I blame you. I suggest you don't question how or why you feel this way but be grateful that you do."
"Maya has told me countless of times that I have a second chance at life. She's right, I didn't want to hear it in the past. I've been rude to her and yet she still tries her best to help."
"For the most part you two get along really well. Making sly and sarcastic remarks about each other helped. It's during our little therapy sessions is when you're a very difficult patient."
"That's a nice way of saying I'm an asshole." Hanzo scoffed before getting up. He stretched to release the remaining tension in his body. "Where is she? She's usually awake at this time."
The last thing Maya wanted to hear was anything or anyone that was loud. Several empty potion bottles laid on the floor beside her bed, they kept her splitting headaches away. Normally one bottle would have been enough to stop her headaches but she took one every hour since she woke up. Taking the potions on an empty stomach didn't help her situation. Not knowing which side effects she would have to suffer through, how many would appear, and how long they would last had her on edge.
Hanzo walked to her bedroom and knocked on the door. Maya held her head and groaned. 'Not now.' She thought while dragging her feet against the floor and opening the door. Seeing Hanzo standing in front of her almost brought her to tears. She wanted to blame him for making her feel like shit. After pinching the bridge of her nose and opening her eyes she saw two apparitions that looked exactly like her standing behind a very worried Hanzo.
'You know it's his fault. If he listened to you and Kenshi sooner he wouldn't have that nightmare last night and force you to take in the pain he was feeling.' The phantom on the right told her. She had a scowl on her face and glared at Hanzo. The clueless man slowly helped Maya walk to the living room. The two phantoms walked in front of them, to continue to have her attention and make her agree with one of them.
'Don't listen to her. It's not his fault. He didn't do anything wrong.' The phantom on the less didn't have any venom in her voice like her companion. She was soft spoken and had a concerned look on her face.
'Fine! If you weren't such a coward and used it when you first learned you could do it, you wouldn't feel this way. The elders told you the more you use it the less pain you'll be in. But nope! Now look at you. You were always a weak bitch and have to lean on him to do something so simple as walking!'
"Fuck you." She groaned when he laid her down on her couch. When she looked up the two phantoms were gone. Kenshi sat by her side and took her hand in his. "There you go being the worried boyfriend in front of him. Aren't you embarrassed?" Kenshi caught the sarcastic tone in her voice while Hanzo did not. He felt uncomfortable seeing them act like this with each other. Yes, he noticed how much they stayed in her house while he goes out to visit the more quiet spots in Matsue. He felt like the third wheel as he watched them.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You need your rest. I know you're exhausted. You spend so much of your time helping us that you don't take care of yourself." Kenshi said for Hanzo to hear. In reality he was communicating with Maya telepathically. He sensed how nervous she was around him.
'You should tell him what you did to him last night.'
'Does that mean he feels a hundred times better than I do? I hope so. I feel like I've been hit by a truck.' She tried to laugh, a pained whine came out instead. Kenshi swept the hair that stuck to her sweaty forehead.
'He's fine. Definitely a lot better thanks to you. He accepted what he's done in the past and wants to move forward.'
'Good. I'm not going to tell him.'
'Why not?'
'He might blame himself for how I'm feeling right now. I don't want to risk him feeling guilty again. We'll keep this between us.'
'Maya…'
'Please. I have a gut feeling that this is going to get worse and if I tell him he'll blame himself.'
'I think you should tell him, it might help you feel better.'
'Doubt it.'
'Fine.'
"I hate seeing you like this."
"Comes with the job."
'At this rate I won't be surprised if these two start kissing each other.' Hanzo let his mind wander and began thinking of what they could possibly do when they're along together. When his innocent thoughts became sexual he immediately stopped. Kenshi didn't give him any signs that he was reading his thoughts, something he was thankful for. He glanced over at Maya when another groan left her.
"I hope you're ready to be my nurse until I get better."
"That shouldn't be hard. I've played different roles in the past with you." Kenshi laughed. Hanzo eyes widen at his friend's statement. "You stay here while we make something for you to eat and drink."
"Oh trust me, I'm not going anywhere. Try not to burn the house down while you two are in there." Kenshi lowered his head and kissed her cheek before getting up and walking to the kitchen with Hanzo.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Hanzo's reaction to Kenshi and Maya is a little hint as to what's going to happen in the next couple of chapters. ;) Thanks for reading!