"Fulfill your duty to him, wait until he is vulnerable, and then do what you do best."
Her father's words repeated themselves over and over again in her head.
As they had for days now, but especially so in this moment.
Skarlet mouthed the words to herself as she stood at his bedside, as she looked down at his sleeping form.
Kung Lao was a heavy sleeper, as she had come to find out.
Which worked out all too well for the blood that emerged thick from her palm.
For the blood that slid between her fingers like a blade now.
She felt the hilt of the self-made dagger disconnect from her flesh, and she wrapped her fingers around it, now feeling the weight of it in her hand.
This had all been a formal arrangement after all.
A political marriage orchestrated by her father.
And Earthrealm had accepted it - either out of stupidity, or fear.
Of course, Earthrealm's leaders weren't stupid enough to not see through her father's tricks.
They denied him of his request for an Earthrealm bride, and instead forced him to give up one of his daughters instead.
But they also denied him giving the hands of Kitana or Mileena, seeing as that would give Outworld too direct of a connection to Earthrealm.
So she was picked instead.
Earthrealm refused to give up their Champion, however, but they picked someone just as strong.
Skarlet supposed it was to make them appear to have the upper-hand.
She played the part her father asked her to.
She played the willing sacrifice, the willing bride - the willing wife.
Kung Lao was hesitant with the arrangement, but he did what was necessary.
He accepted his role in the matter, and accepted his role with her.
And how oddly gentle she found him to be when he wasn't petrified of her.
Skarlet found herself cultivating a fondness for him.
But her father's words continued to speak inside of her head.
She had waited long enough.
Kung Lao was sleeping with his back to her, unknowingly exposing it to the weapon in her hand.
Skarlet edged the dagger forward and gently traced the tip of it between two of his ribs, marking the spot she knew she had to aim for in order to be successful with one strike. The subtle touch was just enough to draw a shiver across the Shaolin's skin, and she heard a quiet groan escape him before he rolled away from her - further exposing his vulnerable back to her.
She watched as his hand absentmindedly reached into the empty spot she had preoccupied just a half hour before.
And she watched as fingers curled into the empty sheets, loosely clinging to them now.
"Skarlet?"
A murmured rendition of her name broke the silence.
Skarlet watched as Kung Lao pushed himself up now, just up enough to get a glimpse at her empty side of the bed.
She tightened the grip on her dagger, before she dissolved it in her grasp and reabsorbed the blood back into her skin.
"Missing me already?" Skarlet spoke in answer.
And even in the lingering tangles of sleep, his reflexes were quick as Kung Lao turned himself towards her voice.
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness.
But she hated that she still couldn't see all there was to his face.
"What are you doing up?" he asked with surprising clarity.
"I was closing the window," she offered in a lie, as she moved away from him.
Skarlet walked around the bed, returning to her half of it, before she returned to her place beneath the covers. She watched as Kung Lao moved onto his back once more, giving her space as she climbed in next to him.
The fondness that continued to grow between them coaxed her to lean over and press her lips to his cheek, testing his boundary.
"Could you not stand to be without me for that long?" Skarlet whispered.
"It took me a long time to get used to having someone sleeping next to me," Kung Lao admitted, chuckling at her invasion. "And now that I am used to it, I don't like not having you here."