Just a warning, this story is crack, pure crack, so people will be out of character. If that doesn't bother you, then...
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios.
Moving In
The night was still young but the week had been long. Consequently, Jade was exhausted. By the time that she had unpacked the sandy chest she buried at the Sea of Pormissus, the one that held all her clothes and toiletries, she was ready to drop. But she'd pushed herself to go ahead and take a wash. In the hut, the bathroom was small but well-stocked with all kinds of amenities, like thick towels and a plush rug beside the tub and lots of oils and soaps. She'd tried a few of them after letting her body soak in the steaming hot water for a while. A good hour and a half later, she was much more relaxed, she smelled good, and her aching muscles were all better. She took her time drying off, relishing in the warmth of the clothes that had spent time underground: a pair of silk shorts and a short-sleeved matching emerald silk shirt was what she changed into, and after washing her face in the sink she pinned up her long black hair. She was ready to sleep.
The woman yawned as she twisted the doorknob. On the other side, a young man was waiting. She blinked upon seeing him, all dirt-covered and weary, and immediately she felt a guilty pang wrack through her.
Smoke, he's probably wanted to get in there and shower and here I held up the bathroom for nearly two hours, she thought regretfully.
"I'm sorry," She murmured with her bundle of used clothes in her arms.
Smoke tilted his head. "What?"
"I didn't mean to take so long in there," She spoke apologetically.
He shrugged and brushed past her into the bathroom. She had to curl up her nose just a bit because he smelled like he spent the week in a den with wet dogs. But that only made her feel worse; he obviously should've been allowed to go first.
When Smoke shut the door, Jade made her way over to the bed she'd claimed. There were three of them lined up vertically across from the door, with only a nightstand in between each of them. There was a vanity on the left and right walls, and one along the same wall as the door, adjacent to the bathroom. Besides that, there were two giant brown rugs that swallowed up her bare feet and oil lamps on each nightstand to light the room. The first thing she'd done was put her clothes away in the vanity across from her bed, and now she put her dirty ones in the empty bottom drawer. That was when she yawned again and climbed into the bed.
She had only just laid down on her side when she saw Scorpion sitting in the middle of his bed. He had changed clothes but hadn't bathed. He wore a pair of thick black pants and boots and a black tunic with a canary-yellow obi. She cringed upon seeing his dirt-caked boots atop the clean brown sheets, but she figured it was his bed and he could do what he liked.
Besides, she thought, does he even need sleep?
He didn't act like it, not with the way he had his legs crossed and his back straight, intent on the chore in his lap. He had a blade in one hand and a hunk of ivory stone in the other and was whittling away at it. She shivered because a thought ran through her mind, one that wondered if maybe it was bone, not stone, he was shredding away at. That thought led to wonder how he'd gotten the purported hunk of bone, and then things got disturbing as her mind conjured plenty of gory, gruesome examples. She shuddered and turned away.
It wasn't too much longer when Smoke emerged from the bathroom. She was drifting off at that point, but when he crossed the hut and came over to his bedside and into her line of sight, all drowsiness fled from her body as her eyes drank in the sight of him. She did feel an ounce of shame as she raked her eyes over his face first, all soft features and light eyes, and then over the rest of his chiseled body. He may be lean but he was well-built, and that constant cloud of steam that emanated from his still-damp body made her question if it was from the bath or from his being an enenra.
Either way, it's doing him all kinds of favors right now, she thought to herself with a private smile.
Smoke stretched his arms overhead and then pushed his long, limp silver hair behind his shoulders.
"Hello?"
She blinked and felt flustered at having been caught staring at him. But she was nothing if not a woman of immense decorum. So she sat up slowly and mustered her pride to come to her aid.
"Good evening," She greeted back.
Smoke sat on the edge of his bed and draped that thin white shirt around his neck. For heavens' sake, why didn't he just put it on? That was what she wanted to know. She ignored his physique and smiled politely.
"That was some week, huh?" She stated.
He smiled softly and nodded, "It was something, yes."
Even his voice is attractive, she thought in mild despair, it's all quiet and accented...gods, listen to me; I sound thirsty as all hell. When was the last time I had a-
No, she promised herself she would not think about that. Not here, at least. She was here for a reason and it was best if she stayed focused on that and not her teammate's sinful body.
"Going to bed already?" He asked her as she turned her back on him.
Jade buried herself under the covers and said, "Yes. I'm pretty tired."
"That's understandable," Smoke acceded, "Goodnight then."
"Goodnight." She responded.
Only when both of them were fast asleep did the spectre in the room stand and walk over to the mirror. He laid his blade and the hunk of white bark down onto the vanity and gazed at his own white eyes.
"Oh, hello there, Hanzo," He whispered, "Almost forgot you were here. Almost forgot you were still an actual fucking person, even if you are an undead being. You have a good night, too."
And he shut off his lamp.
Once you got past the extra set of arms, the slitted yellow eyes, the giantess-esque height, and of course the thong-and-leotard getup, Sheeva was an alright person. Liu found that out after speaking with her a bit last night. However, knowing this didn't make being shaken awake by her any less unsettling. So as he snapped open his eyes and jack-knifed into a sitting position in his comfortable bed and gazed with pure fear for a second at the strange face that was so close to his own.
"We must go." She told him, "Our presence is required at the dining hall."
"O-Okay." Liu breathed, trying to calm his heart.
As the last drops of adrenaline diluted from his veins, Liu rolled his shoulders and stood, leaving the sheets on the bed as he stretched. Like most everyone else, he had bathed last night and was feeling much more up to par. In his plain white t-shirt and sloppy black training pants and boots, he was ready to start his day.
A sudden cry of surprise had the Champion of Earthrealm chuckling; it would seem Kuai had been woken in the same startling manner thanks to their female teammate. Once the cryomancer was up, having already dressed in the same easy clothing as Liu, the three of them set out.
It was a moderate trip uphill, alongside the forest they'd spent their week in, to get to the dining hall. There were signs pointing out the way. As they trekked, Kuai began to voice his musings aloud.
"I wonder what Tomas is doing." He spoke.
That made Liu wonder what his own best friend was doing right about now. He was probably back at the Academy, rooting for him, no doubt. Liu smiled at the thought.
"To win this tournament would only add to your many victories," Sheeva told Liu Kang.
Liu blinked in surprise, but the compliment was short-lived.
"I fear it will only wound you that much more when I deny you of this latest title." She added with a clever smirk.
"Oh is that so?" Liu grinned. "And what makes you so sure you'll win?"
"It is what I must do," She said simply, "My people would greatly benefit from this money."
"So would mine," Kuai chimed in, "This money won't solve every problem, but it will help out a lot."
Liu said, "We all need the money, so I guess we'd better work together to make it to the final inning."
On that the three of them could agree.
Being who she was, Kitana wouldn't dare go anywhere without ensuring she looked her absolute best. That was why the halter-style white top and form-fitting black pants were her choice garments for the morning. Not only did they compliment her figure, but they were also tailored in a way that made them ideal for her current situation. The shirt was made of a light, breathable material, and her pants were also cool and easy to maneuver in. Her shoes were a pair of sturdy black boots, plain but tough. And as for her hair, she pulled the glossy locks up in a high ponytail. It was only because Liu was there that she added a bit of color to her lips and a swipe of darkness over her lashes. In the mirror she could tell that she looked nice and was ready for whatever challenge came next. However, she didn't expect those two teammates of hers to be there, waiting to inspect her.
Ermac was neither subtle nor silent in the way he observed her and obviously found something about her appearance wanting. She was affronted by that and put her hands over her shapely hips.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"Yeah," He spoke, "You look like too much of a princess."
"But that's what I am!" She snapped indignantly.
"Not here, you're not," Noob corrected, "This is a competition, so shed yourself of those righteous inhibitions right now."
"I don't understand," She frowned, "What does my character have to do with winning a contest?"
"Everything," Noob told her, "This is a dirty contest, meaning you'll have to do some things to stay on top. Things your princess-y side may not be in agreement with."
"I don't think that's necessary to win." She argued, "You don't have to play dirty. You just have to be clever and smart."
Ermac scoffed, saying, "Well you go ahead and be 'clever' and 'smart'. Just don't get in the way when we crush our way through the weaker lot."
No matter how many times she ran that soaked towel over her face, she still felt so tired. Sonya hardly got any sleep last night, and the little she did get was because of Nightwolf; he erected a temporary spiritual barrier around her bed so that a certain someone wouldn't be able to mess with her during the night. That someone was just outside the bathroom door, waiting on her. It was disconcerting, to be in a room with the sinner and the saint that was Shang and Nightwolf.
But I'll get through this, she resolved within.
Once more she looked over herself. This morning she donned a white tank top sporting the American flag, a pair of black fabric capris, and her combat boots. She pulled her cap over her head and tugged the end of her ponytail through the back hole. With that done, Sonya pushed open the door and was not surprised to see Shang leaning on his bedpost.
"My, my," He spoke softly, "Aren't you looking especially radiant this morning."
Just ignore him, she told herself.
And that's what she did as she went over to her own bed and started going through her dirt and leaf-covered black luggage. First she strapped on her handgun, because she wasn't going anywhere without her piece. Then she slid her mini-taser into her back pocket. Upon her wrist she snapped her watch that doubled as a projectile weapon launcher and around her neck she wrapped that chain that held her dog tags and a capsule of her 'Deadly Kiss' poison powder. She need only crush it in her palm and blow it in Shang's face if he ever got too close.
"All those weapons for a mere contest?" Said sorcerer asked with a knowing smirk.
Now she had to speak, saying, "This place is full of creeps like you: I can't take any chances."
When Nightwolf came back in to tell them the others were leaving, Shang stepped in front of her.
"Shall I escort you to the dining hall?" He offered.
She rolled her eyes and shoved past him. "Go to Hell."
As she fell into step with the shaman, he picked up on her distaste.
Very gently he asked, "Is something the matter?"
"Yeah," Sonya muttered, "That asshole is still here."
She was mad.
Mad because she was hungry. Mad because the only thing standing in the way between her and a good meal was that prissy being in the bathroom. Mad because her palm was red and stinging from how hard she slapped it against the bathroom door to try and get him to come out. By the gods, Mileena had never been so mad; at least not in a while.
"You know he's not coming out until he gets good and ready," Tanya told her.
She was sitting on the edge of her vanity near the door, picking at her nails nonchalantly. Apparently she wasn't nearly as famished as Mileena if she could just sit there all calmly. Mileena just couldn't fathom how the other woman could put up with the former prince.
"What is he even doing in there?" Mileena griped, "He's been in there for almost two hours!"
Tanya's lips twitched when she said, "He takes his personal hygiene very seriously."
"What a little..." Mileena was out of curses and insults by this point.
For the better part of an hour and a half she'd been trying to goad him out of there but like Tanya said, it was no use. It was a good thing she'd gotten in there right after the sorceress this morning and used the toilet, otherwise she'd be up a creek. Like Tanya, she was dressed and ready to go. Her brown pants were like tights and cut off around the knees, and her white shirt was no better as it ended well above her midriff and clung to her upper body and over the caps of her shoulders. She was armed with her sai's and of course, her magic energy.
The girl contemplated using that energy to burn a hole through the bathroom door and pull that royal out herself, but then that would leave her with no door when she had to bathe and such and that wouldn't work. It was bad enough she had to share a room with the snooty prince, she had to keep what little privacy she was afforded. And speaking of that, she granted him none.
As she waited impatiently, she moved over to the right wall where his vanity was. Atop its surface were a bunch of chains and rings and a comb and fine hair band. There were no weapons, she supposed he was learning after all. But the hair band was enough. It wasn't because she wanted it, it was just to get under his skin: that was why she took the violet silken thing with the gold end-pieces and stuck it in her pocket, beside that pretty sapphire and silver blade. No sooner had she swiped his ribbon did he emerge from the bathroom.
"It took you two hours to put on a pair of pants?" She spoke in a deadpan.
It was true. All he wore were a pair of burgundy training pants that cinched in below the knees, with a pair of matching burgundy boots. His hair was down but looked thick and taken-care of, so that's probably what he'd been working at. Around his neck he wore a single gold chain that lay against his bare, tawny-skinned chest. He smirked.
"Forgive me," he sneered, "But some of us actually care what we look like."
"Whatever," Mileena snorted. "Can we go now?"
She had his headband, she couldn't be too mad. But she tapped her black moccasin-covered foot and folded her arms.
"Thanks to you, we're late," Mileena also put in.
Rain scoffed and said, "So what?"
"So the judges take away points for shit like that," Mileena shot back.
"Who cares about points?" He frowned.
Tanya told him, "You should, if you want to win, Rain; those points add up."
"Alright, then let's go," He capitulated.
Mileena shook her head. She still couldn't see how Tanya settled for someone like him. The woman was talented and powerful, she could do much better.
Oh well, she mused, I'm not here to speculate on their love life, as weird as it is. I came to win, and I won't let that dick Rain get in the way of that!
A/N: Another update! Hope you guys are enjoying this! The next part of the game will be dealt with in the next chapter, so if you're lost about the rules or something, rest assured, it'll be sorted out!
What do you think so far? Who do you guys think will actually win? Which team are you rooting for and why? I'd love to hear your answers :)
Until next time!
~DymondGold~