I open my eyes to a cheerful Li Mei, singing as she folds clothes, placing them in luggage. I sit up, analyzing her.
"Sister," I say tiredly.
"Sister! Today is the day!" she says as she jumps on the bed, wrapping her arms around me.
I smile and ask, "For what?" as she ends our embrace and faces me.
"We are going to Earthrealm!" she reminds me with a rather large smile.
"Yes...that..." I say with a now blank expression. She notices this.
"Who was it now?" she asks with a clever grin.
I face her with questioning eyes.
"What is that intended to mean?" I ask as we both stand and walk over to my wardrobe.
"Oh, come now sister," Li Mei starts while handing me my new gear. "We both know the only time you doubt something, it is usually because of a particular someone's involvement, like that Kitana traitor."
"Correct...it is that damn Earthrealmer Smoke. He attempted to recruit me yesternight simply because I care less about the fate of the realms and more about how I wish to murder that Kitana peasant," I inform in irritation as we undress. "Why is he even here? Why he cares about my plots, I will never understand. He must have motives of his own as well!" I add to my rant as we slip into our new gear.
Li Mei giggles as she slips her top on, hiding her chest.
"I doubt that sister, not many can outsmart you. However, recruit you? That is something..." she trails off.
Smoke utterly irritates me, ally or no ally. Though, he does slightly bring me joy as well, truth be told. By the Netherrealm, he is the most complicated of beings I have ever dealt with.
"Well I am certain the Earthrealmers will stay our allies either way. They are very forgiving," Li Mei assures me.
Thankfully, she is always on the positive side.
"I care for you either way," his words come back to me, along with a sense of familiarity.
It's as if a ghost is running through my thoughts. I feel so absurd that I cannot shake the thought, but there is nothing I can do. I wish I could just forget what occurred. I am a huntress, and people like Smoke are usually my prey, especially since he is from the realm father wishes to claim. Him caring for me just places him in more danger, whether he realizes it or not.
We finish dressing into our new clothing. My magenta laced gear is slightly different today. It is outlined in black, reveals my legs, has no sleeves, and reveals much of my chest as well. It is so tight that it feels as if it's hugging my body. Ordinarily, Li Mei would wear her gray servant robe. However, since we are going to a different realm she is not required to wear such. She is clad in a two-piece, deep violet fighting gear with a purple scarf wrapped around her head that graces her shoulder length hair. A sash hangs from her waist, swishing in the air with every step she takes.
"Maybe," I say while slipping on my new black lined magenta veil.
"We should get downstairs. Shang Tsung will be opening the portal momentarily," Li Mei says.
"Agreed, let us be on our way," I add and we head for the door.
Li Mei is carrying two bags, so I decide to take one from her grasp and carry it myself. I do not consider her my "servant," she is my true sister and shall be treated as such. I open the door for her and we both proceed out. However, we are met by Smoke who also steps out of his room at the same moment as we do. I was hoping I could possibly avoid him due to last night's incident, but failing to recall it ever happened is the best I can do. We all stop and I stare at him as a familiar feeling takes over me. Li Mei shuts our door behind me. It was, after all, just last night when we both stood here as he tried shifting my loyalty to Earthrealm.
"Morning Outworld lovelies," he says looking from me to Li Mei with enthusiasm.
"Dawn Earthrealm mockery," I retort, teasing him.
Li Mei lets out a giggle as he advances closer to me. His eyes beam with joy as they meet my own.
"That's no way to treat your tour guide," he says, not even slightly offended by my joke.
"Tour guide?" I let out a slight chuckle at the thought of this.
He reaches down and his hand brushes past my own as he grabs the luggage I am carrying. He takes it from me as the feeling of his warm hand on mine comes back to me.
I ignore it as he asks, "Yes, tour guide. You did ask me to show you everything interesting about Earthrealm, correct?" obviously knowing I indeed said such.
We all begin walking together to our destination.
"Indeed, try not to get in our way. Giving us a better layout will surely help when we capture Earthrealm," I tease once more.
Li Mei bursts into a small fit of laughter as we reach the staircase. We begin to proceed down as Goro brushes past us on the staircase in a rush.
"Yeah, when Shokan fly," Smoke replies jokingly, referring to Goro.
The nerve of him! He is beyond the title of annoyance! But, I cannot help but to laugh. I swear I wish for this Earthrealmer's head on a silver platter.
"By the Elder Gods, you are so obnoxious," I reply with a veiled grin.
"And?" he remarks as we go down the first flight.
"And potentially petty," I add, throwing the first insult that came to mind at him.
"Oh, this is getting interesting! What else does Miss Outworld have to say?" he says with slight enthusiasm.
I merely giggle and say, "Oh, forget it. Should I continue, the conversation will never end," sarcastically.
We reach the bottom floor, stepping into the corridor.
"Perhaps I do not want it to," he says facing me as we walk.
His eyes meet mine and for a moment I feel myself back in the corridor with his hand caressing my face. I secretly smile at this.
"Smoke!" someone shouts, causing us to pause and turn around. It is Kung Lao.
"Kung Lao, accompany us to the portal?" Smoke asks.
Kung Lao joins us in walking. He heads to Li Mei's side and takes her bag for her just as Smoke did for me. She was correct, these Earthrealmers are unusually kind.
"Thank you," she says with a smile aiming at him.
He tips his hat with a grin in reply as we enter the kombat room. The room is filled with all the Earthrealmers that traveled here, as well as Shang Tsung, father and the five Outworld warriors, including me. We are all heading to the same destination. I spot Kitana in the near distance advancing towards me.
"Here comes the target," Li Mei whispers, giving me a heads up.
She walks by us, Jade following beside her. She nods as she passes, but I do not nod back. Instead I send her fierce eyes as she walks away. I cross my arms as I watch her continue.
"What was that all about?" Smoke questions, seeing everything that occurred.
"Long story, little time," I say angrily.
"She...looks just like you," he adds, unsure of her identity.
I turn and face him.
"She is my somewhat twin sister, unfortunately," I say in a harsh tone. "However, Li Mei is my true sister," I finish.
This brings a smile to her face.
"Outworld people, I swear," he jokes.
"You are one to talk," I say, mocking him.
"Silence!" I hear the Thunder God shout over the commotion.
I turn to Smoke, Kung Lao, and Li Mei.
"Father will be expecting me at his side. I shall see you all in Earthrealm," I say in a low tone.
"Meet you there Miss Outworld," Smoke says.
I smile beneath my veil and then take off into the still and quiet crowd. I make my way to up to father, Shang Tsung, Rain, Jade and Kitana. Shang Tsung uses his sorcery which opens a portal widely, making it stretch from one corner of the room to the next.
"There you are Mileena," Rain announces in joy with a whisper as I come to his side.
"All Earthrealm warriors who did not make it to the semi-finals are welcome to spectate, though, you will not be competing. No other Outworld warriors despite those who made it to the semi-finals, the emperor of Outworld, and the sorcerer are prohibited to enter Earthrealm for the duration of the semi-finals," the Thunder God's voice does not fail traveling across the room with an echo or two as I discreetly go to father's side. "Any others who break this rule shall face the judgment of the Elder Gods, with the exception of personal servants for the competing warriors of course." his voice is calm, yet still threatening all at once.
He seems to have confidence for his forces, and zero tolerance for ours.
"Onto Earthrealm we go," he finishes as commotion starts up once more.
"Bring me honor here my daughters," father says in a serious tone as we advance forward.
The Thunder God, father, Shang Tsung, Kitana, Jade, Rain and I are the first to walk through the portal. A moment of what feels like a dream passes as we proceed through. For a moment, all I can see is a strange purple light, then reality rips in and we end up on the other side. I suddenly look upward at the bright blue sky. It is so clear, so clean. The sun beams downward brighter than I have ever seen it before.
The clouds are not gray and dull like Outworld's. They are a puffy white, gracing the skies. I take a closer look around and realize we are on a beach, and the kombat building is just ahead of us. Behind this beach is also a forest full of tall, slim and somewhat thick, palm and regular trees. I take a look around at all the buildings that surround the kombat building. The kombat building is much smaller than ours, as are their buildings. How they function is a mystery to me.
"Take a look around daughters, at your soon to be home," father announces with pride.
He expects nothing less than victory, I can already assume that much by the look in his eyes. He comes to a stop suddenly. Kitana, Jade, Rain and I all turn to him.
"Father?" Kitana says.
He looks upward at the sky as a gold aura surrounds his body. He lets out a grunt in pain as the near blinding light wraps around his body.
"Father?!" I shout in confusion.
More of the Earthrealm forces come through the portal, venturing to the Thunder God who is now ahead of us.
"Emperor?" Rain says with slight worry.
The golden aura surrounding father dissipates and he turns to Shang Tsung, Kitana, Jade, Rain and I.
"It is the blasted Elder Gods draining me of my strength, insuring I cannot invade Earthrealm," he says with slight rage.
"A pointless precaution," Shang Tsung adds.
"We continue," father orders, and we resume walking.
Rain grabs my hand as we walk, moving in closer to me.
"Such a prize seizing this realm shall be," he says joyfully.
"Indeed it will," I reply, not truly caring about the fate of the realm.
We advance past the Earthrealmers exiting the portal. We tail the Thunder God to the kombat building along with his forces. I cannot help but take in our surroundings; the bright and almost white sand, the crystal clear waters hitting the shore, and all the tall healthy palm trees that actually have big, bright leaves, unlike Outworld's. Smoke was right. This realm is the exact opposite of Outworld. A realm's worth is only as good as how much you wish to maintain or obtain it, and the Thunder God displays just enough of that courage to maintain the realm. The Thunder God's attitude never falters and his words are wise as well.
"All the more reason to choose your own fate," his words have been stuck in my head since that day.
Perhaps he was right. To choose your own fate is fulfilling your life the way you want and doing whatever is necessary to get there. If there is anything I am going to accomplish, it will be to murder Kitana and someday claim the throne of Outworld as empress, alone. We arrive at the sandy entrance of the Earthrealm kombat building.
"You shall only be permitted to enter this building when the tournament is in progress," the Thunder God announces to everyone. "Each finalist has their own assigned cottage to reside in for the duration of the tournament. I suggest you ten start searching. Some will inhabit the calm forest cottages, while others will reside on or near the sands of this realm," he shifts his eyes across the crowd. "Servants also get their own cottage," he adds to his speech.
The things this realm offer to us are very...contradicting. Father desires the realm to be his own, so to compete in the realm itself seems like a disadvantage for their forces. Though, our forces do not ordinarily gain access to this realm. Due to this being our ninth tournament win, we have the honor to compete in the realm we wish to capture. This is kombat tradition.
"The tournament shall resume tomorrow in the afternoon. Until then, I suggest you all get settled. Some of you will not live to see tomorrow night," the Thunder God's voice is not harsh, but truthful.
He knows as the protector of this realm how the tournament goes, and the nonchalant determination in his eyes shows he will not surrender, even when all is lost. He turns his back, and like a switch, people began walking and slight commotion erupts in the air. The people of Earthrealm seem to be more laid back and serious than people from Outworld.
"Rain, Shang Tsung, you will join me," father commands.
Rain peers downward at me and kisses my veiled cheek, releasing my hand from his light grip.
"Yes emperor," they both reply.
They begin to walk in the Thunder God's direction as Kitana and Jade venture off to the left, blending in the crowd like always. They cannot be trusted. I look through the crowd, searching for my true sister. I begin advancing forward, shoving through whoever is unfortunate enough to be in my way. I suddenly get interrupted when someone pulls me by my hand to the side. I turn to see it is none other than the nerve irking Earthrealmer, Smoke.
"You look a little lost," he mocks with a hidden smile, "Good thing I am the tour guide!" he over exaggerates.
"Ugh!" I pull my hand away, "No one asked for your interference!" I snap, catching the eyes of some Earthrealmers walking by.
"Oh, but you did. Now off we go to find your temporary home," he says while seizing my hand, not even giving me a chance to reply.
I decide not to argue, though it is very tempting.
"Where is my sister?" I question him as he leads me towards the vibrant green forest.
"She walked off with Kung Lao," he replies as we keep walking.
A low giggle escapes my lips after hearing such news.
"That sly seductress," I think out loud in delight.
"You say that as if you aren't the exact same thing," I hear Smoke mutter under his breath.
"What was that Earthrealmer?" I inquire with attitude making sure I heard him correctly.
"Oh, you are going to love it here in Earthrealm," he says louder, feigning as if that was his earlier statement he is repeating.
We enter the forest area. The sound of chirping birds floats through our surroundings. Our feet crush the grass and leaves on the forest floor, making a swish like sound. The voices of the warriors now became distant, and we are soon alone.
"I already despise this realm. Why father would even waste his time having his best warriors compete in a tournament for this realm is a mystery to me," I say.
This is partially true. I do enjoy Earthrealm, I merely despise that I could never truly be a part of it, or at least in its original form.
"Ah, Mileena," Smoke sighs, "You can be so stubborn sometimes," he lightly chuckles.
We continue to tread through the forest, avoiding trees, rocks, and small ditches that make up the terrain.
"Says the giddy Earthrealmer who befriends enemies," I taunt looking at him.
He turns his head in my direction as we keep walking.
"Well, it does take two to tango."
"It apparently does not take much to capture your realm as well," I shoot back at him, pleasantly aiming to insult.
He stops and turns to me, his light brown eyes beaming downward into mine.
"This is why arguing with the likes of you is so amusing," he speaks over his laughter.
"And why is that?"
"You are nothing short of honest, not to mention hilarious, which is something rare to find. Even in the Orderrealm," he compliments.
I peer to the side a moment, not sure of how to take his kind words. Also unsure of how to reply, I am left speechless as our eyes scan each other.
"Oh..." is all I manage to get out after a moment.
He inches closer, and even to my surprise I allow it. No one truly recognizes me in the fashion in which he does, and it secretly brings me joy. Smoke then suddenly turns his head quickly, breaking our eye contact, looking first left, then right.
"What is it?" I question, uncertain of what he is analyzing.
"We may have walked too far..." he whispers, standing perfectly straight, peering everywhere into the forest.
"What do—"
"Shh," he interrupts, still searching through every tree, leaf and branch with his eyes.
I join him in searching for what might be the disturbance. He walks forward a few steps slowly, somewhat drowning out the noise of his movements. His eyes focus on something I cannot see. I keep up with him, standing at his side, ready for anything. I hear a stick crack behind us and turn quickly.
"Look out!" is all I hear before Smoke wraps his arms around me, tackling me to the ground, saving me from a blade that was now pinned into the wood of a tree where my head had originally been.
Whoever the attacker, they surely want me dead. I gaze up at Smoke for a moment as he lies on top of me. He saved my life. We both stand, facing in the direction where the blade flew from in our stances.
"Show yourself!" Smoke's voice echoes into the distance.
A ninja in orange then flips from the trees, landing in front of us.
"Who are you?!" Smoke projects his voice loud enough for the ninja to hear.
"My identity is not important. I am from the Tengu clan, and I have orders from grand master Wu Lae to kill all Outworld trespassers in a vicinity of one hundred miles. If they win this Mortal Kombat tournament, we all die," the assassin draws his blades pointing them at me, then Smoke. "And you are of our rival clan, the Lin Kuei, meaning you must also die," he ends his explanation, and charges at us with five small blades in each hand.
I draw the only sai I have left, readying myself to counter his attack as Smoke lunges in front of me in a protective manner. The assassin attempts to slice Smoke's arm, but he dodges it. Smoke kicks, aiming high with his left foot. The attack launches the blades from the assassin's hands, leaving him vulnerable. Smoke then quickly follows up his first attack with a fierce kick to the stomach, causing our foe to stumble on the terrain. I then rapidly hop onto Smoke's shoulders, and proceed to pounce onto the assassin with my sai aimed downward, bringing him to the forest floor. He looks at me with frightened eyes, which I love seeing in prey.
"Never challenge more than you can handle," I say while twisting my sai.
I then quickly plunge it deep into his head, feeling the pressure of his skull. The blood squirts slightly, but does not stain me. His eyes roll to the back of his head and he stops all of his struggling. Satisfied, I stand, pulling my sai from his skull. I turn my attention to Smoke as I sheathe my sai in my hip holster. Smoke walks up to me with a cautious expression. Seeing that I am not injured, he analyzes me with content eyes. We stand there in silence for a moment, the sounds of the chirping birds still on the wind, the sun giving us as much light as it could through the trees. We continue to gaze at each other in the midst of this content silence as I search for the words to say.
"Thank you," I say with legitimate gratitude, something I rarely show to anyone.
If I would have ventured off alone without Smoke, the dead body lying in the grass, rocks and few flowers could have been my own.
"No need to thank me, I would never let anyone hurt you," he replies in a more calm and sincere tone than before.
"Is that so...why?"
We are in a tournament to take everything he loves, including his home, yet he defends me. Smoke steps closer to me, leaving almost no space between the two of us and places his hands on the back of my head. His fingers rub through my hair for a moment, leaving me in bliss. Though, I do not allow my expression to reveal this. Smoke's face inches closer to my own as his hands come to a stop, cupping my lower jaw. He gazes at me with intensifying eyes as he parts his lips to speak.
"Because I am your tour guide," he snickers.
I snap out of the pathetic trance he almost put me in and use both of my hands to shove him away.
"Ugh! Just leave!" I shout trying to stay as serious as possible.
I unfortunately, to my surprise, let out a small laugh that escalates to an even bigger one.
"What? Have you not seen our latest attraction? The dead assassin?" he jokes and points to the body as I laugh even more.
"I am going to quell you too once we find this damned cottage," I say behind my now dying laughter.
I aim a concealed smile his way as I begin walking in a new direction.
"Hey, I am the tour guide!" he shouts catching up with me.
This Earthrealmer...I cannot put up him any longer! Though, as of now, I would not mind it.