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Title of Chapter: Short-Term Long-Term Memory Loss
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Lucipher and Hadoken!
Warning: Meh...just some very, very, very mild language. And when I say very, I mean very mild language.

Next Day

We were still cleaning up the village, but I didn't want any part of it. I was tired of all of the trouble Mavado had caused, so I stuck to my job of watching the children. However, most children were quite afraid of me, because I didn't know how to talk to them, nor did I know how to play with them. A few were afraid of my weapons, but with the weapons came my authority over them. Truth be told, I enjoyed being able to boss them around, even if they were kids.

For the most part, I just had them keep together in a group; Hadoken did the herding. They were his sheep, so to speak. The sun shifted lazily into the sky, only to be overrun by numerous gray clouds. More snow fell, covering up the black ashes from the fire. We had buried Hsu Hao on a hill near the village; that was over and done, so we spoke no more of the matter. I was proud that I had defeated him, but my win-loss ratio for major battles was 1 to 2. I had won the battle over Hsu Hao, but I had lost to Sub-Zero five years prior, and I had lost to Tasia.

Kenshi took a break to make sure that all of the little ones were accounted for, and they ran over to him immediately. Hadoken followed after them, and I felt a little jealous. They climbed all over my blind companion, while my black wolf dog barked, his tail wagging furiously. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the ground, holding snow in my hands. After a while, I found it rather hard to focus on anything. "Kenshi," I called, voice husky for a moment. He looked in my direction and quirked his eyebrows.

Before I could respond, little kids tackled him and made it near impossible for him to answer. I sighed in disgust; not because of the children, but because of the fact that I needed to call Subs. "Yo Sub-Zero!" I called out to my former master, only receiving a grunt as a reply. Obviously he wasn't in the mood to answer my questions. I stood up and walked over to him, putting a cold hand on his shoulder. He stood up full height, so I was forced to step back. Why the hell was I this short?

"Yes?" Sub-Zero replied, a hint of impatience to his voice. Wasn't patience something he had mastered? Eh, forget it.

"Are we about finished here? I'd like to get a move on," I replied, gesturing with my gloved hands. Sub-Zero caught my wrist mid-air and held a tight grip.

"Patience is a virtue," he responded, clenching my wrist tighter. I glared back at him – does it look like I have patience? "When we're ready to leave, you'll know." I hated this! Sub-Zero was treating me like a little kid! I glared at him harder, but it was returned with a tighter grip on my wrist. "Go do your job." He let go of my wrist and I immediately jerked it back. I put my hand out and an ice dagger appeared, but I turned around and walked away.

However, I turned around and walked back towards him.

The kori blade came out, which was too powerful against my daggers. I tossed them to the side and summoned my water sword. The water sword is not as powerful as the kori blade, but it was the most powerful weapon I had. I don't think I planned on killing Sub-Zero, but at that moment it didn't matter. I wondered what Subs would do if he beat me, though. Would he kill me? Or spare me? Either way, we both sparred for a moment, before he pulled back and slashed at my legs.

I jumped back, holding up the blade defensively. After a moment of hesitation, I lunged forward, slashing with the sword. He avoided the attack and swung with the kori blade; I ducked out of the way and did a leg sweep-like move, knocking him to the ground. I pulled the water from the sword, forming the water cobra. With the sword, I brought it down but he blocked it with the kori blade and it shattered. I stuck out my hand and the water cobra curled its way up his arm.

Sub-Zero froze it with his free hand and shattered it. I turned around and ran away, coming to a halt a few good yards away. My former master was already on his feet, and he sent a ball of ice my way. I ducked out of the way, hitting the ground. I summoned my ice staff and got to my feet, waiting for him to attack. Of course, he didn't. We circled each other for a moment; I failed to realize that the snow had stopped falling. I was terrified out of my mind, believe you me.

"You only act strong," Sub-Zero said harshly. "You dare attack someone and then run away from the fight." I glared at him and spun my staff, still afraid. I didn't want to die; running made me look like a coward. However, life sounded a lot more appealing than death did at the moment, so I turned around and ran towards the forest. A carefully aimed ice ball hit the ground in front of me, and so made it slippery. I slipped and fell – who said I was graceful?

I struggled to get to my feet, as I felt a few pricks of water on my face. I looked up at the gray sky; it was becoming a darker shade of gray, as well. It began to rain, to my great surprise. The villagers called their children into the huts, and so Kenshi walked back over to me. "It's raining; maybe we should get a move on," he suggested, as Sub-Zero put away his blade. I nodded my agreement, scurrying off so that Subs wouldn't get any more annoyed with me. I honestly didn't feel like getting in trouble for mouthing off.

That Evening

Much to my surprise, we came upon a large house. We had abandoned the snowy land of Arctika earlier in the day; now we were in a large field with high grass and what appeared to be grapes. It was still raining; the sky was still a dark gray. "This is where we will stay for the night," Sub-Zero explained, starting up towards the house. Kenshi didn't hesitate to follow, so of course I followed, too.

Sub-Zero stood on the steps as Kenshi went up and knocked. A blonde woman opened the door, a slight smile spreading across her face. She was a very pretty woman, with shoulder length blonde hair and experienced eyes. I couldn't quite place who she was for some reason; it seemed as if my Mortal Kombat knowledge was escaping me!

"So you've finally arrived," she said with a slight smirk. "Who's this?" She gestured to me.

"Sonya, this is Luci," Kenshi introduced me to this "Sonya" person. I face palmed as I remembered who she was – Sonya Blade!

"I guess Li Mei will finally have a roommate," Sonya responded. I could clearly remember who Li Mei was, however.

Sonya showed me to my room; we did not talk. I could tell she was trying to be friendly, but there was nothing to speak of. I did not know her – she did not know me. I thanked her as I opened the door to my room. A girl dressed in a purple outfit was sprawled out on one of two beds in the room. She was lying there, half asleep. I didn't know what to say to get her attention, so instead I summoned my staff and I smacked the floor with it. Li Mei jumped up and into a fighting position.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" she demanded incredulously, moving for her weapons.

"I'm not here to fight," I responded indignantly. "Sonya told me this is my room for the night." Li Mei rolled her eyes and threw her weapons aside, flopping down on the bed. She eyed me, giving me the once over.

"So what, are you Lin Kuei? You look Lin Kuei," she finally commented. "With the hair and the outfit; you should wear more pink if you're not part of the Lin Kuei."

"Yes indeed, I'm Lin Kuei," I responded, putting away my ice staff. I stood awkwardly near the door. Making friends was not my biggest or best forte. "I'd prefer to stick to the traditional Lin Kuei colors." Li Mei shrugged and nodded.

"Whatever, s'you're choice," she responded. "Call me when dinner's ready, snowflake." Did she just call me snowflake? With that, she lay back down and drifted off to sleep. I rolled my eyes and walked back out of the room, heading downstairs. I wanted to talk to Kenshi about my little episode, about forgetting who Sonya Blade was. He was in the dining room with Sonya, and the two were discussing something. I walked right in and approached them. Sonya glanced at me and quieted down, backing away a little bit.

"Kenshi when you're finished, meet me on the balcony," I instructed, looking over at Sonya. For some reason, I didn't like her. The blind swordsman nodded once and then turned back to the blonde woman as I left. At this point, I had no idea where I was supposed to go. So, in the midst of not knowing, I wandered around the house. As I walked by, most of the inhabitants didn't even see me. It helped a lot when I kept to the shadowy parts of the house, I suppose.

I decided to make my way to the balcony to wait, so I did just that. However, when I reached the balcony Kenshi was already there, waiting for me. "Oh! Kenshi!" I exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't think you'd be out here before me." The blind swordsman shrugged and nodded; he gestured to the stool next to him. I walked over to it and sat down, making myself comfortable.

"What did you need?" Kenshi queried, taking a seat on the other stool. I stared at him for a moment, before remembering what I had wanted.

"Right… Well, you know the story of how Luna and I came to this world, right?" I asked. Kenshi nodded. "Well, being the case that it is, I recognize most people fairly quickly, would you agree?" He nodded simply. "Today, I didn't recognize Sonya. Nor did I recognize Tasia. Why is that?" I waited impatiently for his answer. Kenshi looked thoughtful for a moment, before sighing heavily.

"I do not know," he finally replied. I face palmed in frustration. "Well," he mused slowly, "maybe you could ask Sub-Zero. Wouldn't he be able to help you?" I grimaced.

"Why would Subs wanna help me?" I replied indignantly. Kenshi shook his head at my comment – I think even he was tired of my anger towards my former master.

"Just ask in a calm yet dignified manner," he advised. I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking away from Kenshi. I stormed through the living room and towards the stairs, leaving a cold trail of ice behind me. I must've had angry-sounding footsteps, because Li Mei appeared, eyes curious.

"What's gotten into you, oh annoyed one?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side. I glared at her and she glared back. I raised my hand; she moved hers to the hilt of her weapon. And then it happened. I fired a ball of ice at her, but she deflected it with her weapon. I summoned my ice staff and lurched forward – we sparred. She pushed me back and jumped forward, landing on my stomach. I kicked her off and scrambled to my feet.

We lunged at one another, but two very angry voices stopped us, dead in our tracks. "Li Mei!" and "Lucipher!" were shouted out at the same time.

"Oh crap!" Li Mei said, voice cracking as her eyes grew wide.

"Damn, I'm busted – is more like it!" I added, gulping once. Standing before us were none other than Sub-Zero and Sonya. The blonde looked annoyed, but just by looking into Subs' eyes – I could tell that he was far beyond angry.

"Li Mei, what did we tell you about picking fights with other members of the house?" Sonya asked, arms folded across her chest. The woman in the purple sighed in frustration.

"Don't move," Sub-Zero advised, eyes narrowing. I suppose I deserved punishment for breaking a rule, but that didn't mean I wanted that punishment. I should've kept my mouth shut, but I couldn't resist.

"You're not my teacher anymore, Sub-Zero!" I snapped. Li Mei stared at me as Sonya quirked her eyebrows, also inclining her head to the side.

"I may not be your teacher," Subs began, "but you are a part of the Lin Kuei – and I am the Grandmaster. This means that I am still your master, and you must come to realize this." I glared, but I shrank back down. Sub-Zero continued, "You should have a little more respect." I just glared, as the anger bubbled up, taking residence in my chest. It sat there, daring me to object. I wasn't able to keep a lid on it, apparently.

"I don't have to answer to you," I muttered under my breath, but it was just loud enough so that Sub-Zero could hear it. Li Mei looked at me like I was crazy. Before I knew what had happened, the blue-garbed ninja was right in front of me. His gaze was piercing, and with a cold, icy hand, he pushed me down. I was now on one knee as I looked up at him.

"Would you like to say that again, or would you rather shut your mouth and address me as Grandmaster?" Sub-Zero asked. His blue eyes were hard.

Li Mei nudged me when I didn't answer him – she looked a little nervous herself – so I spoke up, "Yes, Grandmaster." Li Mei nudged me once more, and by this point I was seriously annoyed. "I…apologize," I added, through clenched teeth.

"Very well then," Sub-Zero – or Grandmaster – replied. He turned around and walked back into the dining room. Sonya, deciding Li Mei had been punished enough, followed suit. I stood up, prepared to go after both of them. Li Mei's hand shot up and she grabbed my wrist, pulling me backwards.

"You wanna get us both killed?" she asked, looking me in the eye. I sighed in frustration. "We can get back at 'em later!" I raised my eyebrows in skepticism. "Trust me." She stuck out her hand, so I eyed it suspiciously. Finally, I took her hand and shook it.

Maybe now, I could get my revenge on Sub-Zero.

Later That Evening

"Dinner's ready!" Sonya called. Li Mei and I were in our room, contemplating ways to get back at Subs and Sonya. We both stood up and walked to the door, opening it swiftly. We saw a stampede of other house guests running down the hallway and running down the stairs. We waited rather impatiently, and then we headed to the dining room. There were two places left at the table – one by Subs, and one by Sonya. I grimaced as Sub-Zero – I mean, Grandmaster – gestured for me to sit next to him.

So, that is where I sat. Li Mei and I traded glances as she sat down next to Sonya, and I pulled out my chair, sitting down angrily next to Sub-master-Zero. This is when I noticed just how full this house was – there were numerous house guests. What scared me, however, was that I wasn't able to recognize them. I looked at each face and none registered in my mind. I was too busy having an inward panic attack to notice that Sub-Zero was staring at me. Kenshi was on my right side, so he nudged me.

"What?" I half-shouted, looking over at him. The talking stopped and everyone stared at me. My face flushed red and I turned to Kenshi and said in a more civil manner, "What is it?" Kenshi nodded towards Sub-Zero, so I grimaced again and turned back to him. "Yes Sub – I mean Grandmaster?" He shook his head, suggesting that there was nothing he wanted or needed from me at that moment. I nodded and turned back to the table, looking down in embarrassment.

That was certainly one way to start off a meal.

When the food was set in front of us, we all started to eat. I picked up my fork and was about to start when all of a sudden my fork was frozen. I looked at the wall in exhausted annoyance before looking at the Cryomancer next to me. "Yes, Grandmaster?" I asked, rather snappishly.

"Wait," he said simply.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked under my breath, but Sub-Zero heard me. "I have to wait for you to start before I can? You call this freaking justice? I got into a fight with Li Mei and this is what happens? How is this fair at all?" I finished my rant – he waited patiently through the whole thing.

"It was Kenshi's idea," Sub-Zero replied with a shrug. I could tell he was smirking beneath his mask; I narrowed my eyes and my knuckles turned white as I squeezed the fork. It shattered, due to the fact that it was still frozen. I was about ready to pick up my other fork and stab Sub-Zero in his icy ass, but I decided against it. I turned to Kenshi, giving him the we'll-talk-about-this-later look. "And, you have been picking fights with me since we got here, which is disrespectful. Now, before you embarrass yourself and me anymore than you already have, I suggest you be quiet."

I stared at him as a quiet silence engulfed the dining room. I couldn't say he was wrong, but I couldn't say he was right, either. I gritted my teeth together in fury, sitting on my hands so that I wouldn't try to attack him. Satisfied with my actions, he and the others began eating. I started a few seconds later, chewing slowly. I was pretty angry, but what was I gonna do? I was already in enough trouble with Subs, so I couldn't really do anything. I suppose what he was doing made sense, but it didn't mean I liked it, nor did it mean I would take it.

When dinner was finished Li Mei excused herself, and slowly, one by one, everyone got up and exited, heading to the living room. I got up to go, ignoring Sub-Zero. When I pushed open the dining room doors, I found everyone gathered in the living room. The purple garbed Li Mei motioned for me to join her on the couch. I walked over and sat down next to her. Sonya glanced at me and then said, "Everyone, this is Sub-Zero's former apprentice, Luci." Like I wanted that title attached to my name!

After that I sat and listened to the conversation for the most part. They tried to get me into the conversation, but I didn't offer too much. After a while, I excused myself, trotting back up the stairs. The door to my room opened easily, and I walked in, flopping down on the bed in exhaustion. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, so that I could drift off to sleep. I felt something climb up on the bed, and opening one of my eyes, I realized that it was Hadoken. I sighed and got under the covers, managing to fall asleep with my black wolf dog curled up next to me.

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