Chapter Thirty-Seven

Cave Grounds

That same evening…

As the sun began to set behind the mountains, Alex placed some thin branches in the lit campfire. The air was getting cooler by the minute. She even noticed that some of the people staying in the cave with her were beginning to wear long sleeve clothing and jackets. She placed her hands near the fire to get herself warm before sitting back. She then took the open folds of her leather jacket and covered herself more with it.

"Staying warm?" she heard a familiar voice say behind her.

Alex turned her head and saw Kenshi walking over to her. She noticed that he wore all black clothing, aside from the red blindfold that were placed over his eyes. "Yeah, are you cold too?"

"Not really," he replied. "But I wouldn't mind sitting over here for a while." He then sat down next to Alex.

"So," Alex said. "We both have our matches tomorrow."

Kenshi nodded. "Yeah, we do."

Alex smiled a little. "I wouldn't be surprised if you won this whole thing. Did I ever tell you that you're a great swordsman?"

Then a thought came to her. Did I actually just ask him that? she thought a bit weary. Great, he must think I have a crush on him or something. Alex, you're an idiot…

However, she was a bit relieved when she noticed a small smirk coming upon his face. "No, I don't believe you did, but thank you." Then he smirked even more. "And did I tell ever tell you that you're a great person?"

Alex looked at him a bit surprised. That was the last thing she had expected him to say. "Um, thanks…" Then she couldn't help but smile. "Are you flirting with me?"

Kenshi seemed to smirk even more as he brought himself a bit closer to her. "No… I like to think of it as being… well, nice."

Alex found herself bringing herself even more closer to him. "Well… that's very…well… nice of you."

From there, they both realized how closer they were to each other and Alex began to have the urge to kiss him. She pondered in her mind whether or not she should make the move. However, before she made her decision, Kenshi began to lean towards her. She parted her lips and slightly tilted her head, getting ready to welcome the kiss.

Just before their lips would touch, they suddenly heard someone yell, "ALEX!"

Alex was just about to turn her head when suddenly, her vision was blocked with bright colors before everything went dark. She realized that her eyes were closed, so she opened them. As soon as she did, a small pile of clothes were thrown at her face.

"Huh…" she mumbled. She removed the clothes from her face and looked briefly around as she realized that she was back in her room. She then looked over near the curtains and saw Sonya standing there with one hand on her hip.

"Damn Alex, I'd thought I'd never get you to wake up!" Sonya mentioned. "Are you completely awake yet?"

Alex managed to sit herself up from her bed. "Eh, yeah, I think," she managed to say.

"Well good," Sonya answered. "Because we're going to have a meeting at the campfire in a half hour about what's been up as of late. I wanted to make sure that you'll be ready by then."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll be… what time is it?"

"Eight o'clock in the evening." Then Sonya smiled. "You told me you were going in for a nap and that was three hours ago."

"Oh, eh, yeah I did. All right, see you in a half hour."

"See you."

Then Sonya pulled the curtain aside and left the room. Alex looked down at the clothes given to her. It was a black tank top and green army pants. "Oh good, I needed new pants," Alex said.

She then swung her legs over the bed. Before she got up, she thought about the dream she just had… which made her laugh a bit.

"Yeah right," Alex said to herself. "Like Kenshi would do that! Besides, we're just friends, nothing more."

Afterward, Alex got out of the bed and began to get herself ready for the meeting.

Lounge Area

Sitting down at a small table, Rose lifted a mug with her hand and took a sip of her green tea. The drink warmed her up and she sighed with happiness. Things were peaceful for now. Everyone was doing their own thing and Raiden was actually out fishing with some of the guys.

I don't remember the last time I felt so relaxed, Rose thought with a small smirk. Then the smirk faded a little. Probably before I met Raiden…

Yes, Raiden could be a pig… constantly joking around, always drinking Outworld liquor (despite telling her that because he was a God, he can't get drunk), and especially poking fun at her. However, despite all that, he was an honorable man. After all, he was the one who set this whole cave thing up and selected many of the chosen ones. He was helping Rose and she too was helping him. In a way, they needed each other's assistance and it was good that Raiden sought her out.

Besides, someone had to keep him in line when nothing serious was going down.

But he can be a good man,she thought.

As she sipped more of her tea, the curtain to the lounge was pulled to the side. Rose expected it to be Raiden, but when the person came in, she recognized Ashrah, the woman she sought out a while ago.

Ashrah took a couple of steps in the room before she noticed Rose at the table. "Hello Rose," she said. "I hope I'm not disrupting you, I'm just coming in to get a plate."

Rose smiled a little. "No dear, you're not disrupting anything. While you're here, would you like some tea?"

Ashrah shook her head. "That's all right, I'm not really a tea person."

"Oh please try it," Rose suggested. "Green tea, it's fresh."

Ashrah stood where she was for a moment. I guess if it's fresh…

She walked over to where the kettle was. Taking a mug, she lifted the kettle and poured the tea in the mug before placing it back down. Then she walked over to the table Rose was at and sat down in an empty chair.

Rose watched as Ashrah took a sip of the tea before placing it down. "Mmm, this is soothing."

"Glad you like it," Rose replied. She then changed the subject. "I know we haven't talked much since you arrived here. Things have been chaotic since one of our own passed away. I hope that we can catch up."

Ashrah nodded. "I was hoping the same."

"Good," Rose said. "I wanted to ask… when you attacked me, you called me a demon. Why did you think I was a demon?"

The white-clad woman took another sip of her tea before answering. "I was once a demon myself, residing in the Netherrealm. I used to be an assassin for the Brotherhood of Shadows. It used to be the life I only knew. Not long ago, I asked a question about an assignment. I never had intended it to be a sign of treason, but that's what my former master suspected it to be. He sent my own sisters to kill me.

"Around the same time, I found a kriss sword that would purify my soul. This was the only way that one could escape the Netherealm and it became my desire. I wanted to start life a new. I finally accomplished that when I defeated a wraith named Noob Saibot. Unfortunately, I lost my sword during my transport and I ended up here just prior to the tournament.

Rose sipped her tea as she listened to Ashrah's story with great interest. "That's quite a story."

"There's more," Ashrah continued. "When I defeated Noob, I thought I killed him. He actually survived and has since been using my sword to taint my soul once again. I haven't seen him since, but I think I have leads of his location.

"Even after losing my sword, I can sense even the slightest dark side of a person. Your good side seems to be more dominate than your dark side, but I wasn't so sure that day."

Rose nodded as she understood. "I can see why you were able to sense my dark side. It comes from my past with a former powerful dictator. It's a long story, but this dictator is no longer alive, so I am able to move on from that."

"That's good," Ashrah said. "I hope to seal away Noob once and for all. Perhaps then I will find peace."

It was then that the curtain opened again. Raiden stepped into the room and noticed Rose and Ashrah at the table. "Bonding time, ladies?" he asked.

Rose finished her tea before placing it down. She then smiled. "Unlike with you, I'm having a nice conversation with Ashrah."

Raiden found himself chuckling a bit. "Wow, I didn't know it was possible to have a nice conversation with a psychic." He then grinned widely. "I mean psycho."

Ashrah quickly placed her cup down. "You know, I think I'll go. It was nice talking with you Rose."

Quickly, Ashrah got up and walked out of the lounge. She only was able to take a few steps outside when she heard a loud scream, followed by a sound of crackling electricity, then finally a loud smash.

Forest Area

Even within the darkness of the forest, Ryu trained intensively. He normally liked to train here at this time mainly because it offered the best chance of no disruptions.

That morning, he had his match in the fourth round and won. He felt that he didn't fight in a match that long ago, considering that his fight during round three wasn't too far off from this round.

Aside from making it thus far in the tournament, things have been… well… the young warrior couldn't really describe his stay here in Outworld. Mostly it's been quiet, but his social life had been, well, interesting. Perhaps it was mainly because he didn't really socialize much throughout his life.

Ryu always suspected that Ken wanted to get him a girlfriend every time they met up somewhere, even in another realm. In the case, Ken always left him alone with Julia Chang. He did admit though, she was a sweet person who had a caring nature. He still felt bad about a few days ago when he didn't tell her that he was going to hang out with Mika that morning… thank Ken for that.

Mika… she was another one. Almost every time he saw her, she always struck up a conversation with him and, half the time, wanted to train with him. He suspected that she most likely fancies him.

It was only a guess though.

Ryu was always told that he was a good looking guy. It was no wonder the girls were always chasing him. However, dating was not for him right now. He wanted to focus on seeking his vengeance for his master's death. Only then would he find inner peace and... it would much easier to date then.

After some time of training, Ryu decided to call it a night. He planned to hit the hay once he returned to the cave, then train again during the early morning hours.

Ryu only took a few steps when he sensed a dark chi not too far from him. He stopped himself, having the feeling that someone was not too far. He tried to listen for footsteps, but all he heard was nothing, not even the sound of the wind.

However, he was still able to sense the dark chi.

Maybe it was all in my imagination, he thought.

He was about to take another step when he heard a whistle-like noise just to his left. The sound seemed to get louder and louder by the second. When Ryu turned his head, he saw a spear quickly coming towards him. Immediately, he ducked right under it. The spear missed him and it instead planted itself on a tree that was behind Ryu.

After that, Ryu sat himself up. His dark eyes widened a bit when he saw that the spear that came close to impaling him was connected to a thick, brown rope. He examined it for a moment before it retracted to where it came from. It didn't go far as it went back into the hand of his attacker.

Ryu didn't know his name, but for those who did knew him as Scorpion.

The Japanese warrior got himself on his feet before getting himself into a fighting stance. "Why do you attack me?" he asked.

"Target practice," Scorpion answered.

That was enough. Immediately, Ryu shot his hands out and a light blue projectile shot out. "Hadouken!" he called out.

Nearly the same time, Scorpion shot out both his hands as well and a blazing fireball shot out. The two projectiles collided with each other creating a small explosion. When it completely cleared, Ryu and Scorpion jumped after each other to engage in combat.

Beach Area, Near The Cave

The large moon caused the calm waters to glitter in the night. Watching this, Maki, Sakura, and Cassandra sat on the nearly white sand while Mika and Asuka sparred just a few feet from them.

"It's such a nice night," said Cassandra. "If the sky wasn't such a dark purple and actually had stars, it would feel much like Keisei."

Maki looked over at the very large moon that was up not too far from the distant mountains. "You mean Keisei's moon is that big?"

Cassandra couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "It's bright, but it's not that big!"

It was then that Mika and Asuka stopped their training for the night and joined the other three girls. "Okay we're done for now," said Asuka.

"Did you have fun?" asked Sakura.

"I sure did," answered Mika. "Especially with my match in three days."

"And mine tomorrow," mentioned Asuka.

Maki's eyes seemed to light up as she looked at her friends. "I was thinking… what past matches did you think were the best ones so far in this tournament?"

Mika placed a finger on her chin as she tried to think of one. "Gee, there were so many good ones. Hmmm… if we're going with anyone in the cave… I'd say the match between you and that blue clad girl in the second round… I forget her name…"

"Kitana," Maki reminded her.

"I'd have to say that my match with you was pretty good," said Sakura as she looked up at Mika. "And that's despite the fact that I lost."

"Well I'll tell you one thing," said Cassandra. "I hated my match in the third round. It's not because I lost, but it was because my opponent was so rude!"

"Tell me about it," agreed Asuka. "Hopefully, if I do happen to lose, I don't end up losing to a rude fighter as well."

Mika sighed a little. "I bet they'll get ruder every round. They always seem to be the better fighters."

"Not Jin Kazama!" Sakura mentioned while smiling.

All four of her friends looked at her a bit surprised. Sakura then realized what she said and partially covered her mouth with her hand. "Eh, did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," all four answered.

"I still don't understand what's so special about him," mentioned Asuka.

"Seems that you found yourself a new idol," said a grinning Maki as she lightly punched Sakura's arm.

Mika eyed Maki. "Well what about you, Miss 'Oh-my-God!-I'm-going-out-with-Yang-Lee?'"

"Yeah!" agreed Cassandra. "You still have to give us the juicy details between you two."

Maki found her cheeks burning as she placed her hands over them. "That's none of your business! Cody keeps bugging me about that every time he sees me!"

"Well that's what happens when you get a new boyfriend," said Sakura.

The girls continued on with their chatting throughout the evening.

Dungeon, Unknown Area

Entering the dungeon, Quan Chi made his way down the long, dark, dank hallway while carrying a bag. With the exception of the sounds of dripping water, nothing else was heard.

The sorcerer made a turn to the next hallway and saw a guard that was standing nearby. Quan Chi immediately approached him. "Any updates?" he asked.

The guard nodded. "Yes. Berserk had just killed off his victim. We only have one prisoner left down here. May we place him in Berserk's cell?"

"Not yet," Quan Chi replied. "Shao Kahn said to not do so just yet. He considers this prisoner a special one." A smirk came over his face. "It looks as though we may have to find ourselves another prisoner to keep Berserk occupied until then."

From there, he walked past the guard and headed to the cell in which Paul Phoenix was being held in. He unlocked the door and entered the room. Paul was in the back room, freed from the chains as he was weak enough to not escape. Upon hearing the door open, Paul barely looked up, his eyes only half open. Dirt began to cover his clothes and body and he was getting more of an ingrown beard. More scars appeared on bare parts of his skin.

Quan Chi went through the bag in his hand and took out a loaf of bread. "The Emperor was in a good mood today so he was nice enough to give you a fresh loaf." He then threw the bread down on the floor just a couple of feet away from Paul.

However, Paul didn't make any attempts to get the bread. This angered Quan Chi. The sorcerer walked over to Paul before bringing his foot up and stomped on Paul's stomach. The blow caused Paul to keel over more in pain and cough frantically.

"You should consider yourself lucky!" Quan Chi yelled out. Paul only stared at him as the sorcerer continued. "You're the only prisoner left in this dungeon. Normally, at this point, we would feed you to Berserk. However, the Emperor considers you a special prisoner and didn't want you to be placed in the same cell as Berserk just yet."

A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "Perhaps after he finishes off his next victim, I can request that you go next. Just… enjoy yourself in your misery until then."

With that, the sorcerer left the cell, locking it after stepping out. When the sounds of footsteps were out of earshot, Paul reached over for the bread and took a bite.

Cave Grounds, Campfire

Standing in front of everyone near the lit campfire, Guile and Wolfman addressed their allies consisting of Sonya, Wagner, Alex, Kenshi, Cammy, Lita, McCoy, Ginzu, Chun Li, and Lei, who were all sitting down.

"Well since we came here," said Wolfman. "We haven't been able to discover much. However, other people in the cave have been able to make a few discoveries that may be able to help us."

Guile continued for him. "One of those things was the discovery of activities in the old palace of the Outworld Emperor. There is a possibility that former members of Shadaloo and members of the Black Dragon may be working for him. We could assume that it's a way for them to get closer to the medallion."

"That sounds just about correct," said Lita.

"We're continuing to find any answers around the main palace grounds," mentioned McCoy. "However, we haven't been able to find any leads as of now."

"The other thing we're looking into is the mystery surrounding Ibuki's death," spoke up Chun Li. "However, we haven't been able to get anything on that."

"I've tried talking to Li Mei," said Alex. "She was the sole witness of her death. However, being that she was traumatized by what happened, she's not ready to speak about it."

"All right, we'll give her time and hopefully she'll speak by the end of the tournament," said Wolfman.

"Damn!" called out Sonya. "We've been here for nearly a month and have discovered so little about anything! We really need to start cracking down on things."

"I know it's hard," said Guile. "But it's mainly because we're trying to keep ourselves under wraps just in case anyone suspects us. It is something we definitely don't want to risk. Not only will it put our lives in danger, but it'll also risk the lives of everyone in the cave."

"The only thing we can do now is keep doing what we've been doing," spoke Wolfman. "If anyone makes any more discoveries or hear from anyone else, report to us."

A pause lingered in the air for a moment before Wagner spoke. "So that's it? Damn, that was a quick meeting. To think I skipped out on playing cards with Ken and Cody."

Sonya laughed. "Scott, you can do that any time you want."

Wagner eyed the older blonde woman. "How did you know my first name?"

Sonya stared at him, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Trust me, I know everything."

Ginzu's eyes widened upon hearing that. "Watch out! She's stalking you!"

"Har, har."

"All right everyone," said Guile. "I could make one more mention before we depart. Keep in mind that, tomorrow, both Kenshi and Alex will have their matches in the morning. In two days, Chun Li will have her match, so wish them luck."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, cause I'm really going to need it."

Lita patted her shoulder. "Well look on the bright side dear… you won't be drunk and try to take your shirt off this time."

"Don't remind me…"

Everyone in the group ended up laughing with the exception of Kenshi, who raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something?" he asked.

Lita looked at him. "Oh, it happened a while ago during the second round of the tournament-"

"Lita!" Alex cried out. "There's no need to go off and tell people everything you know."

"I know that feeling," agreed Cammy.

Guile immediately spoke up. "All right, I think this meeting is officially over for the night. Now let's depart without killing each other."

With that, everyone began to take their leave. Lei began to stretch his arms out after standing himself on his feet. While he did, Chun Li approached him. "Some meeting, huh?" she asked with a warm smile.

Lei found himself smiling a bit too. "I think my favorite part was the after discussion."

Chun-Li laughed. "I think everyone did, except maybe Guile and Wolfman. Say, it's a nice night out tonight. Want to take a walk for a little bit."

Lei looked around the area for a bit before turning his head back towards Chun Li. "Sure, but let's not stray too far from the cave grounds. I don't want some weird-looking demons to come out of nowhere and attack us."

"Good idea," Chun Li agreed.

The two then began their walk around the cave grounds.

Forest Area

Ryu and Scorpion continued to engage in combat. Hadoukens and fireballs were constantly exchanged, barely leaving scratches on the combatants but leaving a mass amount of damage of the area around them, especially the trees.

The two exchanged various punches and kicks endlessly. Ryu threw a punch at Scorpion in which he blocked before following it up with a palm strike to Ryu's abdomen. Ryu stepped out of the way and was able to avoid the blow before he raised a leg up to deliver a high kick. Scorpion managed to dodge that as well.

Another Hadouken shot out of Ryu's hands and Scorpion ducked right under it. The projectile ended up hitting a damaged tree. The tree had grown weak and this blow caused it to complete tumble over, causing the ground to shake upon impact.

Scorpion this disappeared in a burst of flames before reappearing above Ryu on the opposite side. He attempted a kick at Ryu's face, but the Ansatsuken fighter managed to block the move, forcing Scorpion to land safely back on the ground. For another moment, they released a fury of punches and kicks at each other.

Then, Scorpion ripped his own mask off his head, revealing nothing but a skull. Ryu quickly backed away from him, surprised by this. Scorpion then opened his mouth and a long line fire shot out. Ryu quickly jumped over flames and towards his opponent.

"Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!" Ryu called out as he placed one leg out and let him spin in circles rapidly.

However, Scorpion saw this coming. When Ryu was close enough, he successfully grabbed a hold of Ryu's leg. Using his leg, Scorpion was able to swing him halfway around before releasing him. Ryu let out a cry as he flew a few feet before crashing into a tree and falling into the ground.

As Ryu struggled to get himself to sit up, Scorpion walked over to him. The ninja spectre then stood a few feet and waited until Ryu was able to sit himself up. Once Ryu did, he began to lift his foot up.

Before Scorpion was able to land a blow, a sound of thunder was heard, causing the both of them to turn their head. When they did, they both saw Raiden standing a few feet from them.

"Enough!" the Thunder God boomed. He then looked at the ninja spectre. "Scorpion, I understand your need to fight… but you shall not harm any of my chosen warriors during this tournament. Is that understood?"

Scorpion turned himself completely towards Raiden. "Hmph, it's not my fault that the only descent warriors worthy to face me in combat are your chosen ones… but for now Thunder God, I will respect your wishes. But I will have you know… when this tournament is over, I will fight who I want, when I want." Then in a burst of flames, the ninja spectre disappeared.

Raiden then walked over to Ryu and helped him back on his feet. Ryu looked at him peculiarly. "Who was he? And how does he know about us chosen ones?"

The Thunder God sighed. "He was actually the first person I asked to join with us. However, he declined the offer because he had… other things to take care of." He then looked up into the sky. "I've known him ever since the first Mortal Kombat tournament… he's a tortured soul, cursed to live as a spectre for eternity…"

Ryu nodded after his explanation. He didn't need to know exactly what kind of vengeance Scorpion was seeking… he knew enough already. A little part of Ryu hoped that, someday, the ninja spectre would finally find his peace.

Cave

Sitting down on a bed, Yang fiddled with his hands impatiently. Next to him sat Yin, who constantly sighed nearly every minute. However, the both of them had good reason for acting like this.

"Are you sure Yun never returned?" asked Yin, looking over at her brother.

Yang sighed to himself. "Yeah, it was around lunch time when I last saw him. He said he was going to take care of something and that he'd be back in an hour or two. Well, it's hell bea lot more than an hour or two. I just hoped that he didn't…"

Yin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't. For all we know, he could've-"

It was then that the curtain opened and their missing brother stepped in. Yun was a bit surprised to find his brother and sister in his room. He smiled at them. "Hey you two, I'm surprised to see you here."

Yin quickly stood up and walked over to Yun before raising a hand and slapping him hard across the face. "Where the hell have you been?" she yelled out. "Do you have any idea how worried sick we both were?"

Yun rubbed his cheek which had been slapped. "Damn, sorry, I didn't realize-"

Yang looked up at him. "You did say only a couple of hours! You better have a good excuse as to why it took you all this time to come back."

A large grin came upon the older Lee's face and he sat down next to Yang. "Well, I didn't get the chance to do what I wanted to do. However, something really cool happened to me."

Yin folded her arms as she stood in front of her brothers. "This better be good."

Yun shrugged. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but it sure was hell good for me. Remember my opponent Anna Williams from my second round of the tournament?"

Yang nodded. "You mean the one who kicked your ass?"

Yun sighed. "Yeah, her. But anyway, I ended up seeing her not long after you left. We were talking non-stop and, eh… we ended up spending the whole day together! We didn't do much, but we really enjoyed each other's company a lot. Then, not too long ago, we went back to her room…"

His sister's jaw dropped. "Yun… you didn't…"

A grin came upon Yun's face, giving her the answer she didn't want.

As they were talking, Nina Williams happened to pass by the room when she heard her sister's name being mentioned. Immediately, she stopped in her tracks and eavesdropped on the conversation. Obviously, the young man who was talking about his day with Anna was smitten with her. Upon hinting at what they shared that evening, Nina decided that enough was enough. Obviously, the kid didn't even know Anna's true side.

Quickly, she pulled the curtain aside and stepped into the room. She nearly startled the Lee siblings, especially since they never really saw her around much.

"Did I hear correct?" asked Nina. "Anna Williams?"

Yun looked up at her. "Yeah," he replied. "You know her?"

Nina nearly smirked. "Know her? Hmph, you have no idea." She then looked at him seriously. "I strongly suggest that you stay away from her. You may think she's another innocent face just because you spent a mere day with her, but she's more than you think. Let's just say… she only seeks for what she wants." She then turned around. "You've been warned." Then she stepped out of the room.

A few moment passed before Yun chuckled. "She's just jealous! Well, I'm going to get something to eat." He then stood up, placed his hat down on the bed, and then left the room.

When Yun's back was turned to them, Yang and Yin exchanged worried glances. Nina seemed serious about what she said and they were willing to take her word… but will their brother do the same?