Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, faved and alerted so far!
Title of Chapter: Sliding On Thin Ice
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Lucipher and Hadoken!
Warning: Not much here. This chapter was a filler, except for the end.
Enjoy!
Next Day: 12:00 P.M.
"No, no, no, no!" I shouted, running downstairs. Li Mei, Jade, Kitana, and Sareena were running after me, trying to turn me into a dress up doll. I would have no such thing. "I refuse to wear more revealing clothing!" I shouted over my shoulder, as my legs ached in pain. You try avoiding four trained female warriors, and then tell me if you don't feel any type of pain afterward. I bolted through the dining room, past Kenshi, past Sonya, and past most everyone else.
I hit the stairs again, taking them two at a time, legs screaming in pain. I hadn't had a workout like this in who knows how long! My boots hit the carpet with a thud, and fear kept me going. Every door was locked, so I couldn't go in and hide. I was too far away from my room, and plus Li Mei would probably find a way to get in there. I could hear them yelling behind me, and I rounded a corner and stopped, putting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. It hitched in my chest and I coughed once.
Looking up and around, I could find no plausible escape route. My eyes grazed across the wall and I spotted a ventilation shaft just down the hall. It was rather large and seemingly conveniently placed. I ran down the hall at a rather slow jog, and by freezing the panel and kicking it, it shattered and I was able to get in. Now usually, a vent shaft would be small and cramped. But this one had freaking stairs but I guess that's what happens when you're a house guest with Sonya.
I bolted up the makeshift stairs, cringing every time my footsteps echoed against the metal. I reached a larger, hallway-type shaft, and I walked slowly through it, marveling at the length and size. It kind of freaked me out, so I was pleased whenever I passed a grate that was positioned like a window on the sides. Continuing my journey, I realized that I was jittery. It was pretty dark when the windows weren't visible, so I was a little freaked out. Or a lot freaked out, but you get my point.
Foolishly, I did not look down and I stepped on a very unstable grate. It came out from underneath me and I fell. I heard and "oof" and a body thud against the floor. I was sitting on some type of armor; it was blue and there was seemingly a fur rim around the edge of the hood. A low grunt/growl made me look down, and I spotted the trident first…and so I moved my eyes down just a tiny bit further to see the brilliant, blue glaring eyes of Sub-Zero. I laughed nervously.
Apparently, I was sitting on Sub-Zero's chest.
The grate was dangling above our heads, but it crashed to the floor next to us. I blushed as Sub-Zero folded his arms, although it was a little difficult due to me being on top of him. My hands were awkwardly positioned on his shoulders, as well. "Uhh…" I stammered, feeling the cold intensify in the room. That indeed was not my doing. I snapped my fingers, hoping to teleport, but unfortunately, I had lost that power long ago. I could not make it snow harder, nor could I teleport. Those powers now eluded my grasp.
"You're still sitting there," Sub-Zero said, voice icy. I nodded awkwardly, as he started to sit up. I jumped off of his chest and stumbled halfway down the hallway, tumbling into the wall. My jelly-like legs gave way underneath me and I fell to the floor, looking over my shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. All this running from those four warrior-women was getting to me. The Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan stood up, dusted himself off, and tossed the grate upwards. It clicked right back into place.
He approached me and towered over me. I shrank back out of reflexive habit, and he said, "Stand up." I glared up at him, but I grabbed onto his clothing and hauled myself to my feet. I put my hand on the wall for support and let go of his clothing, looking around nervously. "What were you doing in the ventilation shaft?"
"Running from the lunatic women in this house!" I shot back, shaking my head to try and clear away my headache. "They wanna see what I look like in their type of clothing." Sub-Zero nodded and an awkward silence followed. I started to walk away, but strong arms wrapped around my waist, trapping my arms at my sides. "Sub-Zero!" I shouted in fury as he lifted me up off the ground.
"Ah ah, that's Grandmaster," he reminded me, turning around and carrying me towards the living room. I couldn't see his face but I knew he must've been smirking under that mask. I couldn't believe my luck. I managed to free my left hand, but it didn't do much good. I sighed in frustration as I was swiftly carried downstairs.
We eventually reached the living room, where Sareena and the others were gathered. They all grinned when they saw me, and so Sareena spoke up, "Thanks Sub-Zero." He nodded and set me down on the couch, and before I could scramble away, Li Mei, Jade, and Kitana converged on me. Sareena smiled deviously and turned back to me as Sub-Zero smirked underneath his mask. I couldn't see said smirk, but I knew it was there. He turned around and walked away, satisfied with his work.
The four women made me try on a lot of different outfits, until they finally found one that they all agreed on. Which unfortunately for me was a blue halter top with my usual black pants and boots. I heard myself grinding my teeth together, trying to avoid looking in the mirror. "Can I just have my regular outfit back?" I asked, sounding desperate.
"We're not done!" Li Mei replied, as the other three women shook their heads. "Oh, wait!" She walked over to me and forced my hair into a ponytail. I glared at the four of them as they admired their work. "See, now you look better." I rolled my eyes, waiting for them to finish. "Should we show our work off?" That was the last thing I wanted.
"Yeah," Jade agreed. "It took us forever to get that look to work on her!" That made me feel amazing, Jade, I thought to myself. I was about to say this out loud, but I was silenced by Kitana, who took me by the wrist and made me stand on the coffee table. "She looks like a totally different person."
"Really? OK guys, can I have my outfit back?" I asked, folding my hands.
"No!" they all said in unison. I sighed angrily – this was going to be a very long night.
Later That Evening
I had managed to escape the clutches of the female terrors a few hours prior, and I was currently hiding under the covers of my bed. I was half-asleep when I realized that Sonya had called for dinner a few moments ago. By this point, Li Mei had stopped trying to drag me out of my bed, and Hadoken had abandoned all hope of me accompanying him to dinner – he had gone down to the dining room alone.
There was a knock at the door and I lifted up my head. "Who is it?" I called out warily, poking my head out from under the covers. The voice that I heard on the other end was that of a male, and it sounded like Kenshi. "It's unlocked!" And Kenshi walked in as I pulled the covers up to my chin, sliding down further in the bed. My boots had been discarded in the closet nearby. "What do you want?"
"I found these stashed under the couch cushions," Kenshi responded, tossing some blue colored garments onto the bed. It was my t-shirt and my blue Lin Kuei vest. I gave Kenshi a grateful glance and he exited the room, shutting the door behind him. I quickly ditched the halter top and put on the black t-shirt first, and then I added the vest overtop of it. It felt nice to be in my own clothing again. My black pants were still firmly in place; thankfully they had alternated tops more than pants.
After pulling on my boots I opened the door again, to see that Kenshi was gone. I shrugged and stepped back into my room, slamming the door shut. Li Mei would complain and nag my ear off if she saw me back in my regular attire. I jumped back onto my bed and conjured a ball of ice, playing with it in a state of boredom.
Another knock at my door startled me back into reality, so I stood up and opened the door slightly. Surprisingly, it was Sub-Zero. I tried to slam it closed, but he stuck his foot in the door and managed to get the door open in about two and a half seconds. I held up my hands in surrender, unwilling to fight him. Instead of attacking me or verbally assaulting me, his hand clamped around my wrist and he pulled me out of the room.
I was pulled to a stop outside of the dining room – the large doors were closed tightly. An icy cold hand brushed across my hair and before I could cringe it was falling around my shoulders. I turned to see Sub-Zero tossing aside Li Mei's ponytail holder. I suppose I looked grateful, because he just nodded once.
"Are you going to join us for dinner, or does Li Mei really scare you that much?" Sub-Zero asked, slightly amused.
"She doesn't scare me," I mumbled, but it was probably a lie. In a sense, she kinda freaked me out. Sub-Zero pushed open the doors and let me enter first, and I was surprised to see Raiden seated at the table. "Raiden…?" I asked in surprise, as Sub-Zero led me to our seats. I glanced at the Grandmaster as he sat down, so I followed suit.
"I've just dropped in to pay Sub-Zero a visit," Raiden responded, waving a hand at my comment. I didn't know him very well, nor did he know me. He knew Luna; he did not know me. But it didn't matter anyway; he was here for Sub-Zero. Sonya set the food down on the table and so we began eating, just like our usual routine. Li Mei kept nudging me in the side, a little annoyed that I had changed out of the outfit and into my regular Lin Kuei attire. I nudged her back and we glared at one another for the rest of dinner.
After dinner, we mingled around for a bit, before the activities of the day took their toll on me. I wandered aimlessly upstairs, but I heard low voices coming from one of the rooms. I tip-toed to the door and listened in on the conversation. "You cannot mention any of this to her, Sub-Zero," Raiden said in a firm tone of voice.
"Why would I mention it?" Sub-Zero responded. "I don't have any need to, nor do I see a reason to."
"Good then. I'm glad that we're on the same page here," Raiden replied. Before I could jump back the door opened up and Raiden appeared, but he stopped when he saw me. Sub-Zero was right on his heels, and I waved. "Were you listening in on that?" Raiden queried.
"I was passing by and I really didn't hear that much," I responded with a shrug…which was half-true, right? Raiden shook his head and walked away, leaving Sub-Zero in front of me. "What?" I asked indignantly, backtracking a few steps. The Grandmaster walked towards me, until I backed into the wall. He was much taller than me, so I was a little nervous. "Uhh…"
"I really don't like you," Sub-Zero said, before turning and walking away. I stared after him as I sighed in frustration. An ice ball formed in my hand and I was tempted to throw it at him. To throw, or not to throw. I glanced at the ball of ice before tossing it. He spun around and caught it in his hand, crushing it. I suppose that wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had.
I turned around and ran down the hallway, practically tumbling into my room. The door closed behind me and Li Mei looked down at me from her position on the bed. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked, staring at me. I shook my head and stood up, collapsing into my bed and falling asleep a few moments later.
Am I proud of this chapter? Not really, to say the least. It was thrown together rather late at night. *shrugs* It was more of a filler than anything, besides the little bits at the end. What did you think? Please tell me in reviews!