Smoke and I have been trotting through this forest for what seems like forever, discussing everything that comes to his and my mind. We are supposed to just find the damned cottage, but we somewhat lost track of the objective. Now it is just a walk through the Earthrealm woods. It is much more different than the Living Forest. Until this day, I never heard him speak straight from his mind like now, and I have to say, it makes him sound much more interesting. He told me stories of his childhood, how he cannot recall much of it. Smoke does not even recall how he came about his abilities or any of his family, only his clan. I wonder how he came about entering the tournament.
"Yes, I am in the clan known as the Lin Kuei, which I am sure you have heard of them from earlier at least," he is telling me more about himself.
This long talk began out of nowhere. I never thought we would be discussing our deepest and most inner secrets with each other. Though I have not said much, I know I am bound to soon.
"Yes, stories tell that it is one of Earthrealm's most vicious clans," the legend of the Lin Kuei even reaches Outworld.
It is getting darker around the realm due to the bright sun setting, and the sky-high trees' leaves block most of what light we have left.
"That is one way you can interpret it, once they discover Sub-Zero and I have gone, we will be hunted down," Smoke says.
I pause our walking and turn to him with a glance of intrigue.
"So you left the clan? I doubt they will ever come close to harming you, especially with the Thunder God lurking around," I reply.
We resume walking as he sends me an agreeing look.
"The man you fought, Sub-Zero, is also a member and my closest friend since my memorable childhood. We left the clan together in order to search for his brother's murderer, who we believe to be Shang Tsung," he adds, informing me of their relationship.
The sound of the grass beneath our feet seems to get slightly louder with each step, crushing the leaves and plants below our shoes.
"I see, that sorcerer is indeed scum. However, your abilities far surpass that of your comrade's. If anyone is able to take the sorcerer's life, it is you," I say, keeping honest words.
"Was that a compliment from Mileena? Ooh," Smoke joshes in a playful manner.
I giggle for a moment.
"Sometimes I even envy you," I admit.
Smoke stops walking and faces me with slightly worried and confused eyes. He has obviously never heard this side of me, but when someone places their life on the line for you, you feel as if you can tell them anything. Or at least in this case, and that is exactly what I am doing.
"Why?" his voice is soft against the light wind that blows through the leaves.
"Because you belong," I speak clearly to get my point across. "You belong to the friendly forces of this realm that meet every need of its people. You belong in this realm, and you belong in a mighty clan...you have something to bounce back to no matter what your fate brings..." my voice rings of slight regret and anger; anger that craves to be understood by someone.
However, no one seems to understand it even to this day.
"You are the daughter of an emperor Mileena, you will eventually rule over Outworld. You are special," Smoke tries to encourage me, but it only slightly works.
Father favors Kitana, which is another reason why she must die. If the throne is ever to be passed down, it will most likely be to her. I have known this for a while, and it crosses my mind each time I attempt to allow myself to believe I am an heir. I am as much of an heir as an Elder God is a mortal; no where near. Smoke comes to my side and places his arm around my shoulders as he beams downward at me.
"I can show you how much you can belong," he offers in all seriousness, yet kindness.
"How? And why would you do that?"
Instead of replying, he smiles at me before a cloud of vapor engulfs us both, warping us instantaneously to the middle of a city unknown to me. The buildings all display beautiful architecture with different colors and multi-inclined roofs. Not too tall, nor too short, yet all different sizes. Crowds of carefree and happy civilians crowd the crimson brick road on which we stand.
"What is this?" I inquire our intentions in such a setting.
"This is where the fun starts," Smoke promises with his arm still around my form.
We begin to walk as he leads me through the very energetic and alive crowd. Some are in costumes, others are in regular clothing, but all are illuminated with pure happiness. Coming from a realm that is close to Netherrealm on the misery and torture scale, this realm is very unique and I would not mind living here myself. I wrap my arm around Smoke's lower torso, just like his arm that is placed around my shoulders, as we continue walking. He does not seem to mind it. My body and mind is engulfed in the excitement this realm has to offer. I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling the light breeze hit my veil.
"Where are we headed?" I ask in a lighter mood than before.
"Right here!" he uses his other arm to announce that we have arrived at our destination.
More civilians pass by with costumes, strange face paints and masks. This must be a vast celebratory time for this realm. A wide building with loud music blasting from behind the door lies in front of us. Civilians that are laughing and chatting enter it.
"A celebration?" I ask making sure I am seeing this correctly.
Celebrating is rare in our realm. I suppose Earthrealm really is full of surprises.
"It is more than that," he says while removing his mask, revealing his soft grin.
Smoke's facial features never fail to impress me, or remind me of the night he attempted to recruit me. He then reaches for my veil and removes it so quick I almost did not process it. Not giving me a chance to protest, he places it in his pocket. Ordinarily I do not let people do such a bold thing. However, I feel more calm when I am around Smoke, as odd as that sounds.
"Do not worry, people will love you," he says with a smile that makes his eyes slant a bit.
This makes me feel more comfortable to the point where I almost forget about my features. Before I can even respond he begins walking, leading me to the door. We get right in front of the wooden door when someone bursts through it fiercely. This causes Smoke to release his arm from around me and block its sudden force to stop it from striking us.
"Woah!" Smoke yells a bit demented.
"Haha!" a rather large man says as he stumbles outside in a drunken manner. "Smoke! Aye!" the man says spotting us.
"Bo Rai Cho! Hey!" Smoke greets him with slight enthusiasm.
"You are in the tournament, eh?" Bo Rai Cho asks with pride.
"Yes, a semi-finalist. What brings you here?" Smoke asks making eye contact with him.
Bo Rai Cho raises a bottle in the air drunkenly and shouts, "For the free drinks, why else!" and then laughs at his own joke loudly.
Smoke joins him in laughter as Bo Rai Cho turns to me.
"That is a pretty face little lady! Hahaha!" he compliments while attempting to keep his balance.
He is too intoxicated to even realize this is not a costume. Well, that is a good thing for now. I would not want anyone to lose their minds at a mere glance my way, especially a fragile Earthrealmer.
"Indeed?" I say wondering if he can even hear me by how much he stumbles around.
He glances at me with drowsy eyes, and then turns around with his back facing us swiftly. Bo Rai Cho then begins to vomit violently. It lands on the side of the brick road, causing someone to slip and fall. Laughter from other walking civilians starts up.
"Haha! Oops!" Bo Rai Cho exclaims.
"Alright, we are heading in now, see ya Bo," Smoke says behind laughter while leading me inside quickly, leaving Bo Rai Cho.
"Wait!" we hear from Bo Rai Cho, and we head in faster.
As soon as we step in and shut the door behind us, all I can see is a dance floor and something of a bar towards the back. Everyone is dressed in somewhat Outworld attire with wild designs of body paint from their heads to their toes.
"What is the purpose of this?" I ask Smoke as I analyze our surroundings.
"When the tournament is pushed back like this, and it is held in Earthrealm, we throw parties like this all over the realm to show we will not falter, regardless of the outcome," he explains.
There is a certain determination about Earthrealm that is intriguing. Maybe if the other realms captured by father shared a likeness to that of this realm, they probably would not be merged with Outworld now.
"Come," Smoke says as I notice I had been staring into the moving crowd.
He takes my hand and escorts me through the thick crowd of civilians. They all dance to the rhythm of the much too loud music as we proceed. The sound of people cheering and singing along with the loud music playing almost creates a different world. When Smoke and I make our way through, people shoot a beaming smile our way or pat our backs. Smoke just gives a nod or a 'Hey!' to all who do so. We arrive at the back of the vast club where the bar is located.
"Smoke! Welcome!" a man behind the counter exclaims.
"Hey there, drinks for two please," Smoke orders just before turning to me with a smirk.
"Coming right up. That mask is amazing by the way beautiful," the bartender states as he faces me.
He then quickly turns and begins concocting many liquids of different colors. Smoke spots my confused and slightly angry face. He places a hand on my shoulder and smiles. For some reason it calms me and I go along with it. The bartender comes back and hands us both a medium glass of a red liquid with a lime on the side.
"Thanks," Smoke says as I take the time to down my drink.
I do not even bother finding out what the drink is, for this whole situation is my temporary escape from reality, and I plan to fulfill it. The beverage tastes strong and slightly spicy, but smooth all at once. I feel it travel through my body, causing me to feel energized. They both gaze at me in astonishment as I finish my drink and place the glass back on the bar counter as I face the bartender.
I use my lengthy tongue to lick my teeth clean of whatever still remained of the beverage and say, "This is far from a mask," in a seductive tone to the man behind the bar.
The man's eyes meets my chest, then slowly meet my face as he lights up with a shocked expression.
"That..." he starts with his eyes wide and peering at me,"is amazing!" the man shouts in awe.
I step back in confusion and shift my eyes to Smoke who looks my way in amusement while he takes the moment to down his drink. Do these Earthrealmers always openly invite death into their realm?
"All your drinks are on the house tonight!" he adds with even more enthusiasm as I turn my attention back to him.
I go to open my mouth in protest, but Smoke says, "Yes, another please," and the man goes to prepare another concocted beverage.
By the Elder Gods, is this what goes on in this realm? No wonder father desires it as badly as he does.
"I told you," Smoke states, proving his standpoint from earlier.
"I suppose you did," I say with a grin on my face.
Foolish people can create a fun time every now and then in Earthrealm I suppose. The man arrives in front of us again, handing us the same drink as he did before, but the glass is filled to the top.
"Here you go!" he announces in cheer.
"Wait," Smoke says as he sees me reach for my beverage. "We need to do this right," he speaks louder against the booming music.
"And how?" I question in joy.
"Alright, on three, whoever drinks all theirs first, gets a favor," the look on his face is ecstatic.
"Fine, then it seems as if I am getting a favor," I mock, tempting him to try hard to win.
He lets out a laugh and says, "No! I shall be victorious! Ready?"
We both take our glasses into our grasp.
"One..." he starts as we face each other with a smile, holding back the laughs. "Two..." he snickers slightly before shouting, "Three!" and we raise our glasses, drinking with speed.
I gulp down the substance as fast as I can, and then aim to set my cup down. Smoke also sets his cup down, though mere seconds before I do.
"I win!" he cheers.
"No! It is a draw!" I try objecting and we both burst into a fit of laughter.
The drink leaves a powerful and indescribable after-taste on my tongue.
"The lady won Smoke," the bartender announces.
"See? He witnessed my victory," I protest over our giggles as we both face the man.
"You are only saying she won because she is sexy!" Smoke shouts in his defense with a carefree smile.
The bartender laughs at this and shrugs his shoulders just before sending a wink my way. I continue giggling as the bartender then walks away to tend to others who want drinks.
"I placed my cup down first!" Smoke shoots back not wanting to lose the argument.
"He thinks of me as sexy?" I erase the thought from my mind, ignoring it as if it were never there. "Fine, you are the victor!" I say joyfully, giving in.
Smoke does a small victory cheer and then laughs. He then moves closer to me as we lean against the bar with a smile on both of our faces.
"Now, what is that favor?" I ask hurriedly.
"Oh, you will find out eventually," Smoke says with a sly smile.
"You cannot just hold it against me forever, you have to use it tonight!"
"We shall see," he says, knowing he would most likely use it to his advantage eventually.
Why I agreed to such a pointless event eludes me. I start to feel the room shift beneath my feet. The low lights start to look more luminous when matched to the darkness of the room. I cannot stop myself from smiling, and Smoke notices this. However, the effects do not seem to be as strong to him as much as they are for me. The room begins to spin and move as if it were alive, and my eyes widen.
"Mileena?" he asks before going into a fit of laughter, realizing I am intoxicated.
"Yeah?" I say trying to make my voice sound as normal as possible.
"Looks like someone cannot handle their Earthrealm liquor," he teases.
Everything seems to be moving in fast motion. I feel as though I cannot control myself. Yet, its so delightful.
"Let us dance!" I chant while grabbing his hands happily and leading him to the dance floor.
"Alright prom date," he states with a grin.
I turn and face him with curious wide eyes.
"What is a prom?" I inquire drunkenly as he smiles.
"Something I would have loved to take you to if I were the average mortal," his eyes focus on mine.
"Then why the Netherrealm are we here?" I ask before giggling even more.
Smoke joins me in laughter.
"Well, this is close enough," he settles as we come to a stop in the middle of a dancing crowd.
I face him and put my arms around his neck, feeling his soft, warm, skin. I lean in closer to him, trailing my gentle breaths along his neck.
"Dance with me," I whisper directly into his ear, followed by more fits of tiny giggles.
Excitedly, he spins me around and we move along with the crowd. I sway my hips, matching the pace of the somewhat fast rhythm, facing Smoke. He watches me with eyes of amusement as he steps closer to me, placing his hands on my hips. Ordinarily I would have shoved him away and proceeded to stab him endlessly with my sai, but it feels so alluring; my hips in his soft, gentle grip as I sway left and right. Others in the crowd make the air feel so thick that it becomes difficult to breathe normally. The air seems to get warmer and warmer with every move we take. I look into Smoke's light brown eyes as he stares back at me. A smile spreads over the both of our faces.
Suddenly the instruments slow down. Smoke twirls me around once more and proceeds to pull me closer to him as my back collides with his torso. He wraps his arms around me from behind slowly. I snicker and place my hands atop of his as we move side to side slowly. We have not particularly spoken a word, but our giggles, laughs and occasional looks makes it feel as though we can mentally communicate. Or maybe it is the damn Earthrealm liquor we consumed. What sorcery is this? Their foolish behavior is somehow rubbing off on me. Time feels so infinite in this moment. It's as if we are out of this world, slowly creating our own. And everything looks so damn beautiful. I start to laugh again, however, this time unsure why. Smoke leans his head downward, meeting my ear.
"What's so funny?" he whispers, keeping his head down, waiting for my reply.
"I have nooo idea," I say, slightly slurring my words.
I turn and face him, resting my head on his chest and wrapping my arms around his neck again. His hands meet my hips once more and I am left in relaxation. It feels like it is meant to happen this way.
"Smoke! There you are!" we hear and turn, seeing Bo Rai Cho.
"Damn, he found us," Smoke utters to me.
"Come here!" Bo Rai Cho shouts through the crowd as he runs to us.
"Teleport us!" I cry out over the music excitedly.
He takes my advice and the smoke surrounds us as we warp back to the beach, just avoiding Bo Rai Cho's tackle. We gaze at each other a moment in silence, listening to the water splash onto the sandy surface. Suddenly, we burst into a fit of laughter as we embrace. I examine our surroundings. It is now night and the moon is a silver-like white, reflecting off the ocean as it causes the sand to glisten. I slowly pull away from Smoke and turn, stumbling towards the water and gazing in awe at the full moon which differs from Outworld's. I feel tired again tonight, most likely due to the drinks I received.
"Beautiful isn't it?" he says as I turn to meet his smiling face.
"Yes...it is...amazing," I take my time replying, finding the right words.
I stumble and trip onto the sandy surface, gazing out at the ocean as a small laugh escapes Smoke. I watch as the waves crash onto the shore in astonishment. I never spent a night in so much joy, it makes me feel a strange delightful feeling I have not experienced before. Smoke walks over to me, joining me on the beach's surface as I run my fingers through the sand.
"It reminds me of you," he says, facing me. I turn to meet his stare.
"Why?" I reply, more calm than before. The change of scenery must have brought this relaxation on.
"The moon is constantly pulling at the sea, wanting it, desiring it. But it never comes, because it is sworn to the land. It does not go to what it is attracted to, but what it feels it should go to," Smoke speaks in metaphor, and I understand exactly what he means. However, I cannot not let him see that.
"What does that have to do with me?" I snap.
My attraction to him, his attraction to me; tonight is the first time I was willing to just let it happen. He just sees through me more and more as each day goes onward. But my duty is to Outworld, and my destiny is to assassinate Kitana. This is probably why I desire Smoke whether I want to admit it or not. I am a rebel at heart, and he is the natural enemy; something I thought my rebelliousness would never tread with. However, I cannot help that it does.
"You know what I mean Mileena," his voice stays calm.
I shift away from him, but it is pointless. He just moves even closer to me than before.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" he questions.
"I-I am not doing anything!" I lie, the intoxication still in my voice.
"Mileena, you do not have to play the good-bad game with me. I get it—"
"No you do not!" I shout, taking to my feet with little balance. Smoke rises, meeting my eyes. "You have no idea what it is like to be me!" I argue, stepping closer. "You never will either!" I add with anger, feeling my eyes glow.
I feel the hunger creep onto me, but stronger than usual. The mind games he plays with me piss me off. I am usually the one seducing or using trickery and persuasion. However, this is exactly what he is doing to me, or at least it feels like it.
"Mileena, listen..."
"No!" I shout not allowing him to finish. I want answers. "Just what do you expect out of me?" I shout, clenching my fists.
Smoke gets closer, places a hand on my cheek, and leans in, his soft lips meeting my face. My eyes widen and I relax as he pulls me in closer. His eyes close as I grab onto his collar, falling into the kiss. The feel of his lips against me feels strange, but I cannot deny that it brings me joy somewhere within. He slowly, but only slightly, pulls away and then wraps his arms around me. He holds me tight, yet still gentle. The pace of my breathing quickens to an abnormal pace, but is light on the wind.
"I get it," he whispers to me.
My eyes divert to their original state, and my hunger urge lessens. I hold onto him in shock, but contentment. Why is he the only one who makes me feel this way? This strange inner conflict and the questioning of myself was never this mighty before.
"And I will never leave you alone in this world, regardless of who wins this tournament." His voice is sincere.
"Why do you care so much about what happens to me?" all the anger in my voice breaks as a tear almost forms in my eye.
"Because...I care for you more than I ever thought I would." I look upward at him.
"I...could say the same about you," I speak with a straight face, meaning every word that seemed so foreign to me before this night.
He smiles downward at me, causing me to do the same and blink away a tear that almost fell. I hold onto him in silence for a moment, contemplating these events.
"That, I am glad to hear," he replies with a more calm smile.
Smoke then pulls away completely and lies down on the sand. I join him, lying at his side, peering up at the stars and the rather large moon. The stars start shifting and I seem to get more and more dizzy as we sit in content silence. I peak over at him, and he returns the favor. His eye contact makes me feel safe...secure, something I never thought I would ever feel. Especially in a realm so foreign to me. I ease over and lie my head on Smoke's chest while resting my hand on his torso. I steal one last glance at him as I close my eyes and unwind, feeling at peace. Smoke places his hand through my hair, rubbing through it for a moment.
"Goodnight Miss Outworld," he whispers as I drift asleep in his arms.
I do not know what I am doing with this Earthrealmer...but maybe the Thunder God was right. I must choose my own fate.