A/N: Thank you, reviewers! You guys rock and make me want to write better for your reading pleasure, lol. I would like to say about the last chapter that it was amusing to find that some of you preferred Scorpion with long hair, and others that he have short... Thank you for the feedback! And some of you thought that Smoke was going to declare his love to Sub-Zero...well, it's platonic right now but you never know ;) Haha, and poor Sub-Zero really isn't experienced (emotionally) enough to handle romantic feelings...but the poor guy is learning. And I know the story is slow going, but I don't want to rush anything...

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thank yous!

Rated: M

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"I don't like this," I said bitterly. The seamstress only hushed me and continued taking measurements for her final alterations.

Master Rong insisted we all have new garments made especially for us…for the celebrations today. I had a nervous feeling in my stomach; I did not like being the center of attention.

Needless to say, I was in a bad mood this morning.

And just thinking about yesterday's events gave me a migraine. I couldn't really decide what the worst part of it all had been between Sonya, Smoke, and Scorpion—they'd all left me emotionally drained.

Smoke… At the very least he seemed to be handling it well. I decided I would start keeping a closer eye on him, though.

"Arms out," the seamstress ordered. I raised my arms like a fool while she put some pins to mark where to make adjustments. I didn't even bother to learn her name. I glared daggers at her while she worked, blaming her for making me wear this.

The woman had made me a dark red tunic that tapered around my waist and fit tightly across my shoulders and chest. She'd said she would fix it, but by the way she was marking the pins it felt like she was making it tighter.

There was gold threading around the collar woven into an intricate pattern. I felt ridiculous, like a prince from some child's fairy-tale. Thank the Gods I didn't have puffy sleeves. The black pants were tight enough.

"Red really brings out your blue eyes, m'lord," said the seamstress.

"No, blue brings out my blue eyes," I complained.

…What the hell am I saying? But I couldn't think of anything manly to say to save face and the woman laughed at me.

I gritted my teeth throughout the rest of the fitting, reminding myself that I was mostly doing this for Kitana's sake.

After the seamstress left me I sat alone for a while in my room, staring blankly at a wall, resting my chin in my hand.

Today was going to be daunting I knew, but my thoughts couldn't focus on anything other than that stupid haircut. And now that I had nothing to do but wait, my mind kept going back to last night, when I helped Scorpion cut his hair.

I didn't know anything about cutting hair, but I tried my best. And Scorpion didn't seem to mind. I thought I left it a bit too uneven and shaggy, but he told me he could easily style it.

It wasn't the most fun experience ever, and I had to roll my eyes at Scorpion for having felt the need to cut his hair at all—although now it was much easier to see his face. And that was part of the problem.

He was handsome.

I blushed all over again remembering how mortified I was to realize that I was attracted to him. I was standing behind him - scissors in one hand, my other hand in his hair - when it hit me. I was blushing then, too.

If Scorpion saw it he didn't say anything.

And of course I noticed from the beginning that he was attractive; anyone could see that right away. But I never really…noticed before. I had no idea why it hit me now.

I shouldn't be feeling this way. I've never even looked at another man that way before. The implications of this were troublesome. I've only ever been with women—whom I am very much attracted to, but I never felt so flustered around them as I had been with Scorpion.

Does that mean…that I'm gay? The thought made me frown. I didn't care what people did in their personal lives, but I never considered myself…

I let out a weary sigh. It must be because I've been spending so much time with him lately. That has to be it. It's natural for people to develop meaningless fancies, isn't it?

This was so emasculating. I wasn't a little girl. This wasn't a crush.

Was it?

But, if it was only because we were spending a lot of our time together… Why hadn't I developed these…feelings…for Smoke? We'd spent years together, and I couldn't think of him that way at all.

He's like a brother, I told myself. That's why. But he's good-looking, too. So why didn't you think of him as something else a long time ago? Logically, he'd be a much better choice.

I shook my head and rubbed my face with my hands. I couldn't believe the things I was thinking.

Maybe I was just tired.

Maybe I was freaking out about Scorpion because cutting his hair was the most I'd ever been in his personal space; touching him – not intimately – but personal enough.

But then I thought about how often I had touched him, since he joined our group…and I winced. Looking back it seemed as though I was always finding a reason to lay a hand on him. And not always with a violent intention. I didn't even realize.

I tried thinking of my other male companions in that way. None of them appealed to me in the slightest.

I even imagined briefly what it would be like to be with Johnny Cage, who seemed to be the most friendly of the bunch. No! Just, no…. A WORLD of no.

With a disgusted shudder, I slouched down in my chair feeling miserable. It dawned on me that I had no one to talk to about this. What would I say?

I decided that this was a fleeting reaction to feeling lonely, and that I had attached myself to the nearest person.

And then I thought of Jade, who practically threw herself at me. Maybe if I accepted her advances I would get over it soon… Really, what was so wrong with me that I denied her?

And I needed to stop feeling lonely. Relationships were discouraged in the Lin Kuei, but I never felt a particular need for one anyway. Though, sometimes, I admit I would feel a longing for something… Probably a different life. Hm.

Sometime later The Seamstress returned with my finished clothes, and a gaggle of her giggling apprentice girls. It was almost time for Kitana's coronation, and then after our own little ceremony for when she knighted us, or whatever. I didn't want it.

While the women flittered around me and helped me to get ready, I forced myself to shut up and be happy for Kitana. And grateful. I supposed I owed her a lot.

I headed straight for the wine table.

The party had just begun and everyone was full of excited energy.

Hours ago, Princess Kitana became Queen Kitana, and there was great cause for celebration.

Her crowning was magnificent and she was as regal and lovely as ever. But I felt stupid having to stand up in front of hundreds of people as she granted me a lordship and titles and blah, blah… I barely heard it over the sound of blood rushing to my head.

I guess it wasn't so bad. It went by faster than I thought, and there were no incidents other than some of us had to force Kung Lao to take off his bladed hat, because the other nobles were of the opinion that it was not appropriate at such a time.

We all received silver chains as symbols of our own nobility. At least it wasn't a sash.

Immediately after, everyone was herded into the giant feasting room that had been converted into a ballroom for this occasion.

Now I stood hovering over various crystal and pewter goblets as the musicians began to play a loud and upbeat song. The female singer was great.

A servant was busy filling all the goblets with wine and Edenia's strange rum, while I snatched a crystal goblet for myself before the crowding started around the table.

I'd picked one filled with wine. I knew I'd have many more before the night was done.

People started dancing in the center floor and I felt the urge to run away and hide.

Speaking of hiding, I saw no traces of Scorpion anywhere. I looked across the sea of people but couldn't find him. That was good, though. I might have avoided him anyway.

He got out while he still could, I thought solemnly. Smart man.

My stomach growled so I made my way to the food tables.

Three hours had passed and I wasn't quite drunk enough to deal with my friends. And not just them, but everyone else was becoming loud and rambunctious, as well. I was only mildly buzzed, and extremely amused by what was going on around me.

Jax had made a game of seeing how high he could lift the Edenian women—no matter the size. Kung Lao and Liu Kang joined in as best they could, but Liu was seen mostly at Kitana's side as she was praised and congratulated and given several gifts. Johnny and Sonya were mostly on the dance floor if they weren't drinking, and for some reason I caught Sonya giving me odd looks more times than I liked.

And the dancing… wasn't so bad. I allowed Jade to drag me out a few times. And I would dance with my friends for the occasional group song.

And Smoke, well… I hadn't fully comprehended how popular he was with the women here until now. He hardly had time to talk to me at all. Many wanted his attention. I had to laugh.

I caught the eye of various women in the castle too, but I politely declined any offers of dance or…something else.

It helped to stay by Jade's side in this matter. The other women dared not approach me then. And I found she was pleasant company, though she wasn't as interested as she once had been.

Jade and I were walking back to the wine table when Smoke drunkenly came up to us, his arm draped around the shoulders of a pretty young maid.

He pointed at me. "That's my brother!" he announced proudly. "The one I was telling you about."

The girl gave me a shy smile and a slight bow to both Jade and I. "My lord… My lady."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't like the title.

"He's my best brother in the whole of— in ever all the realms," Smoke said. I had to wonder if he had his arm slung around the girl out of possessiveness or because she was holding him up.

"Yes," I said. "He's not wrong…"

The girl giggled and Smoke placed a gentle hand over the front of my face. Such a good brother he didn't care if I could see or breathe it seemed.

"You be good," he slurred, quite serious. "Have fun. You need some, little brother."

I laughed and put my hand over his face, giving him a good hard shove. "Get away from me, you drunkard!"

Smoke staggered backwards but the girl helped him regain balance. Then a song started that she appeared to enjoy and she pulled him away, laughing.

When I turned back to Jade, I jumped, because Sonya was with her suddenly and whispering things in her ear. Jade whispered something back and nodded. They both looked at me and grinned.

Whyyyy…

"Sub-Zero, come here a moment," Jade cooed. Sonya nodded and beckoned me closer.

I turned and sprinted away as fast I could.

Whatever they wanted I figured it was something I wouldn't like.

They chased me over tables and around crowds of partygoers for a long – terrifying – time.

The partying was winding down.

I couldn't say what time it was now, because the Edenians didn't have watches. But it was well into the night, and things were getting a bit quieter. Even the musicians were rotating slower-paced songs more frequently. Still didn't stop anyone from drinking and dancing, though.

A few more hours had to have gone by since Sonya and Jade gave up the chase. I had to give them credit though; running in those heels was pretty impressive.

I never found out what they wanted from me, but I'd probably find out later. Hopefully they would forget. Most likely I would forget in my current state.

I'd lost count of how much rum and wine I'd consumed, and my cheeks felt flushed and tingly, and my arms felt detached from my body. I felt like floating.

I swayed back over to the drinks' table and grabbed another goblet of wine.

What I really wanted was some fresh air, so I took my drink with me and somehow made my way out into the courtyard.

Leaving the stuffy palace and stepping into the cool night air felt amazing. And today wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I had made it worse in my head.

Someone was already out there, sitting on one of the stone benches. As I got closer I saw that it was Scorpion.

A part of me wanted to run away again. But I missed him today.

He was looking out over the star-filled sky, and didn't say anything as he scooted over so I could sit next to him. I noticed he was drinking from a crystal goblet too, and it made me disproportionately happy to see that we had the same taste. At least I always thought wine tasted better from a glass.

Then I noticed quite a large number of empty crystal goblets strewn around the ground by his feet.

I raised an eyebrow. "Been here long?"

Scorpion nodded, his eyes were a bit glazed. "I kept walking back and forth to get more…before I realized I could just take this." He reached behind him and brought up a whole flagon of wine.

Huh. "I don't think we were supposed to take those…"

He shrugged and filled up my glass for me. When had I held it out to him? My brain felt so clouded…

Scorpion was dressed in a plain enough green tunic. And I envied it over my more embellished shirt. He had a black cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

I tugged on it, the wine making me brave. "Where did you get this?"

"I dunno. Just saw it and put it on. It's cold out here," he explained.

"Is it? I don't feel cold at all—Oh."

He chuckled at me and I had to turn away to hide my blush. Even when I wasn't drunk I sometimes forgot that the cold affected me differently from everyone else.

I had to be careful how I acted around him now. I couldn't let him know. He might literally try to kill me.

Which reminded me…

"Are you still going to 'protect' me when we get back to Earthrealm?" I felt like I'd asked this question a million times before, but he never ever gave me a straight answer.

Maybe it was easier to think about when he was dead.

Before he could answer, I blurted, "I'm glad you're not dead."

The corner of Scorpion's mouth quirked up. "So am I. Thank you."

Dammit. He was ignoring my question again.

He finished off his cup and poured himself another.

I gestured to all the goblets on the ground. "I think you may have a problem."

"I think your cup is empty again," he said, pointing at mine. Dammit.

I held out my goblet for him to refill again, but he moved the flagon away. "Get your own problem," he smirked.

"I hate you," I pouted.

Scorpion chuckled again and still didn't give me any wine. It got quiet, but I enjoyed our silent moments together, too. And I took the time to study his face…his haircut. It looked good.

There was a tuft of hair sticking out on the side of his head and I reached out to smooth it down. He simply sat there and let me, until I was satisfied.

On the inside I was screaming at myself to stop and to keep my hands to myself. But I couldn't seem to stop my body. I blamed the wine and not the strength of my will.

I could feel the heat creep along and spread across my face again.

Scorpion stretched out a long leg and accidentally kicked one of the goblets on the floor—effectively knocking it over and shattering it into a million pieces. The soft sound it made when it broke was almost musical.

"Okay," I said. "Someone's had enough." I deftly plucked the still half-full goblet from his hand and quickly placed it next to me on the ground and out of his reach.

He didn't protest, but now he was staring at me.

"If you don't want me to," he said slowly. "I won't follow you in Earthrealm. I'll leave you be."

I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat and thought about it. I didn't like the idea of someone watching over me like a hawk. But the thought of not seeing him anymore made me sad.

"How come?" I asked.

"I know you don't really need me," he said matter-of-factly. "I don't want to interfere in whatever path you take." He knew I couldn't go back to the Lin Kuei. I'd have to start a new life for myself.

My chest ached.

"Well, what will you do?"

"Besides hunting down Quan Chi?"

I nodded.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I still haven't figured out where I'm going to start with that. I might go back to Japan but…"

But he has no reason to, I thought. I wanted to reach out to him again, but I stopped myself. I wasn't some lovesick kid.

I sat up a little straighter. "You know, I think I'd like to take a shot at Quan Chi, as well."

Scorpion snorted. "He's mine to kill."

Fair enough. "I could help you. Find him, I mean."

He hummed in thought. "Maybe."

"We'll see," I added.

"All right," he agreed, and I smiled. And to my surprise he returned my smile with one of his own.

It wasn't often that I saw a real smile from the man. It gave me that longing feeling again. I resisted the urge to make fun of the fact that he had dimples.

I need another drink.

I stood up and pulled on the bottom of my tunic, straightening it. "I'm going to get some more drinks."

Scorpion hastily stumbled to his feet. "I'll join you."

A/N: some peoples are gonna be so hungover...