Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Netherrealm Studios, and Warner Bros.
Kurai walked down the steps of Shang Tsungs temple to look for a place to rest for the night until the tournament officially begins the next day.
While he walked along the sands of the beach, he felt like he was being watched from somewhere within the palm trees near the beach. But he ignored it for the moment until whoever was watching him decided to pounce.
His attacker leapt on his back and wrapped an arm around his neck to try and choke him out, but Kurai decided that he wasn't going to be taken out so easily. So, he flipped his assailant over off his back and made them land roughly on their back in the wet sand.
THUD!
"Oof!" The assailant grunted as Kurai grabbed hold of their arm and proceeded to try and break it. "Hey! Whoa, whoa! Easy, buddy!" The assailant called out to him, and it was a voice that Kurai recognized, but he shouldn't even be here.
Looking at his assailant to see if he was right, Kurai saw that assailant had light blonde hair, bright green eyes, and olive tone skin. "What the...?! Drake?!" Kurai called out.
Drake, looking at Kurai with a bright smile, just waved with his free arm. "Kurai, hey, buddy! Fancy meeting you here!" He says to him with a laugh. Kurai, unamused, put pressure on Drakes arm, making him flail with his other arm and tapping Kurais leg. "Whoa, whoa, hey! Easy, Kurai! You're going to break my arm!" He shouts, trying to get Kurai to take it easy, but Kurai wasn't letting up.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, Drake Lee. You're not supposed to be here. You didn't get an invitation to the tournament." He says to Drake before he suddenly sees the official Mortal Kombat tournament invite in front his face, making him frown. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."
Drake just smiles. "Well, you gonna let me up?" He asks as Kurai takes a moment to think about it. "I should just go ahead and eliminate you from the tournament by breaking your arm, Drake." He threatens. Drake lost his smile in an instant. "Oh, come on, Kurai. I'm sorry I jumped you, but neither one of us challenged the other. So, if you just let me up, we're good. Besides, no one's watching anyway. If no one saw, it didn't happen." He says to him with a shrug and a light chuckle.
Kurai rolled his eyes before letting go of Drakes arm then helps him up. Drake stood an inch taller than Kurai and was slightly more built than he was, but he still had a lean and athletic build. Kurai was also lean and athletic, he just had a little less muscle than his friend did, but he was still quicker and stronger, even with less muscle. Drake was wearing a sleeveless form fitting black shirt with white karate pants with a black belt, dark purple flames on one leg and golden flames on the other. Covering his hands were black, and red, fingerless gloves as well as black and red karate kickboxing greaves for his feet.
Kurai looks at the chest area of Drakes form fitting shirt and notices that Drakes massive birthmark is peeking from the left side of the shirt.
"Still hiding that birthmark, huh?" He asks, making Drake look at where he was looking and covered up the small spot as best as he could before looking back at Kurai with a nod. "Yeah, still hiding it. Doesn't exactly turn on the ladies when they see a birthmark that looks like a massive scar or a second degree burn." He says with slight sadness, but he shrugs it off with a smile as he looks at Kurai.
"You should consider getting a long or short sleeve form fitting shirt if you're still hiding it. You wouldn't have to adjust the shirt as much." Kurai advises him with his arms crossed, causing Drake to snort humorously. "What, and miss the chance to show off these guns?" He asked as he showed off and flexed his arms.
He laughs and shakes his head. "Yeah, not a chance, Kurai, ol'buddy. These guys NEED to be showed off." He says with a laugh and continued flexing. Kurai shakes his head with a sigh. "Drake, listen to me, I know you want to prove yourself to the academy. And believe me, you're one of the best fighters there, but you're not ready for this. You're heart is in the right place, but your mind isn't. This tournament isn't child's play. You could die here. The monks have told all of us this for years." He explains with concern for his friend.
"Your friend is right, young warrior." A voice says from behind them, causing both Kurai and Drake to instinctively switch to their fighting stances. A man wearing white robes with blue accents and a conical sedge hat walks towards them with a young asian Wu Shi Academy monk wearing red and black monk robes.
With both Kurai and Drake standing ready in their fighting stances, they watched two individuals carefully. "Who are you?" Kurai asks them both. The man in the white robes lifts up his head to look at both of them, but what they saw shocked them both.
The mans eyes were glowing an electric blue color as small streaks of lightning flickered in the corner of his eyes. Both Kurai and Drake tensed up, ready for a fight if the man or the young monk decides to make a move, but the man held up his hands in a calming manner. "Don't be alarmed, young warriors. Liu Kang and I are not here to fight you." The man spoke calmly.
But Kurai and Drake hadn't decided to be so trusting of the man yet. "Then answer his question, old man river. Who the hell are you?" Drake asks the man aggressively.
"Show some respect!" The young warrior monk, Liu Kang, shouts at him, but the man holds up a hand in front of him. "Peace, Liu Kang. We're not here to fight. Besides, I've given them no reason to trust me. Not yet." The man says to the young monk, calming him down.
He takes a few steps forward calmly before stopping just in front of both Kurai and Drake. "I am Lord Raiden. I am the god of thunder and lightning. I have gone by many names throughout my years here in Earthrealm. But please, you can just call me Raiden. I've grown tired of such formalities, although many people who meet me can't help themselves. They continue to call me "Lord" mainly out of respect." The man, now Raiden, explains as Kurai and Drakes eyes both widened in disbelief as they eased up and dropped their fighting stances.
"You're Raiden?" Kurai asks him, still in shock. Raiden simply nods. Kurai lets out an deep sigh and chuckles lighly. "Alright, so then, what are you doing here? Why approach us?" He asks him.
Raiden narrows his eyes and walks towards Kurai until he stands right in front of him. Raiden stood a foot taller than both Kurai and Drake. "Your fight with Baraka, Kurai, was... impressive. No one's ever defeated a Tarkatan as quickly as you before. Who is your teacher?" He asks him curiously.
Kurai considered answering the thunder god for a moment until Drake spoke up. "Kurai?" He called to him, making him look at his friend. Drake shook his head. "Don't." He whispered.
Raiden, sensing that the question may have been a sensitive subject, took a step back away from Kurai. "I apologize. If this is a sore subject, then you don't have to answer." He tells him, but Kurai shakes his head.
Lowering his mask, Kurai smiles at Raiden. "No, it's alright. I'll answer." He tells him, but Drake didn't agree. "Kurai..." He began, but Kurai cuts him off. "Drake, it's ok." He tells him with a nod.
Drake still didn't look too sure, but he trusted his friend enough to know that he can handle himself. He's proven that to him in the past. So, he just nods and takes a step back to let him continue.
"Honestly, Lord Raiden, I've had many teachers over the years. I've been here in Earthrealm for... as long as I can remember." He explains as Raiden and Liu Kang look at Kurai curiously. Raiden takes a single step forward with his hands behind his back as he thought about his next question.
"Hmm... tell me, Kurai, if you've been in Earthrealm for as long as you remember, then pray tell, how old are you?" He asks him, making both Kurai and Drake look at each other before they both began to laugh.
Frowning, Raiden began to grow slightly confused. "Did I say something humorous?" He asks both warriors. Kurai gently waved his hand and tried to get his laughter under control when Drake spoke. "No, no, you didn't. We're sorry, Raiden, but you're going to like his answer when you hear it." He tells the thunder god, who looked back and forth between both warriors with a raised eyebrow. "Is that so?" He asked. Kurai and Drake chuckled for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, them enlighten me, Kurai. How old are you?" He asks again. Kurai smiles. "I'm over 9,000 years old, Raiden." He answers, shocking both the thunder god and Liu Kang.
"How is that possible? You're from Earthrealm, are you not?" Raiden asks Kurai with disbelief in his tone. Kurai hesitates and contemplates whether he should answer this next question or not.
Finally deciding to answer after a few moments, he shrugs his shoulders. "Yes and no. Yes, because I was sent to and raised in Earthrealm and taught by many people over many centuries. People I hold dear, even to this day. And no, because from what Grandmaster Han told me, I'm from the realm called Edenia." He informs Raiden, shocking the thunder god once again.
Raiden turns his back and begins to pace back and forth to think about what Kurai had just told him as well as his next question as the three warriors watched his closely. When Raiden finally thought about what his next question would be, he walks back over in front of Kurai and looks deep into his eyes. "Are you of the Edenian royal family?" He asks him with a tone of seriousness.
Drake subtly glances at Kurai, wondering what his answer is going to be as Kurai looks deep into Raidens eyes himself. And with a straight face, he answers. "No, Raiden, I'm not. I'm Edenian, but I'm not of the royal family." He says to Raiden, who narrows his eyes deeply, before nodding his head.
"Very well. I have more to discuss with you, Kurai, and you as well, Drake Lee, but I have another matter to attend to. We'll see each other again soon." He tells both warriors before turning around to walk away towards Liu Kang. "Come, Liu Kang. We have other warriors to see." He says to the warrior monk as they both walk away from the beach.
Drake, waiting until they couldn't hear him or Kurai, walks over to his friend and grabs his shoulder. "Dude, are you nuts? You LIED to a god? I thought we could trust him?" He asks him quietly, making Kurai glance at Drake. "Just because he is who he says he is, doesn't mean we should just trust him right off the bat. Gods don't always have people's best interest at heart, Drake. I think history has proven that time and time again. He may really be the thunder god that he says he is, but it doesn't mean I trust him. Not yet." He explains, making Drake nod his head, but the blonde haired fighter still wasn't sure.
Kurai then caught a glimpse of someone rushing towards them both until he pushes Drake aside to block the attack.
SHINK!
Kurai feels a blade pierce his arm, making him wince in pain slightly before pushing his attacker away. The attacker lands on his back before flipping backwards to land back on his feet next to his partner.
Both men smirk as Kurai pulls the dagger out of his arm as Drake got back up to stand next to his friend. "You alright?" Kurai asks him. Drake nods. "Yeah. Thanks for the save." He answers, but Kurai gives Drake a side glance. "Be a little more aware of your surroundings next time, Drake. I should do the same. We can't let our guards down for a second." He tells him, making Drake nod his head. "Right."
The man that had managed to attack Kurai, holds his hand out with a smirk. "Give me back my dagger, if you don't mind. It has... hmm, sentimental value for me." The man says to him with a chuckle.
Kurai raises an eyebrow. "Is that that right?" He asks him, making the man, who was still smirking, nod his head. "Yeah, that's right. Now, hand it over. It's not like you'd know what to do with it, pretty boy." He demands while holding out his hand still.
Drake snorts humorously as Kurai grins. "Oh, believe me, pal. I know EXACTLY what to do with this crappy dagger." He tells the man, who frowns and narrows his eyes sharply.
Kurai then grabs hold of the blade, along the hilt, and proceeds bend it into a "U" shape.
CRACK!
The blade breaks, shocking both attackers as Kurai tosses both pieces of the broken dagger to the man while Drake chuckles. "There. You wanted it back? Well, there you go." He tells the attackers, making them both glare at Kurai and Drake.
"You son of a fucking bitch! You'll pay for that! FOR THE BLACK DRAGON!!!" The man shouts and runs towards them with his partner in tow, causing Kurai and Drake to go into their fighting stances as both men rushed towards them.
Kurai & Drake Lee vs. Black Dragon Members X's 2...
The two Black Dragon members rush towards Kurai and Drake to beat them both down. One tackles Drake to the ground, while the other tries to attack Kurai with a flying kick, which he dodges with ease.
The Black Dragon member lands on his feet and turns around with a glare at Kurai, only to see him already in his face with a glare of his own before punching hard in his face that knocks him down hard against the sand. Kurai, standing over his opponent, did nothing as the man stands back up and tries to attack Kurai in a furious frenzy.
But none of his attack land as Kurai dodges all of his opponents strikes with ease. "If this is the best the Black Dragon clan has to offer, then I'm sorely disappointed." Kurai taunts the Black Dragon member, causing him grit his teeth angrily while continuing to try and land an attack on Kurai. Keyword being trying.
Growing tired and bored of the lack of ability and technique from the so called fighter of the Black Dragon, Kurai catches his opponents wrist, which surprises him as Kurai leans forward close to his face with a sly grin. "Now... it's my turn." He tells him.
"Fuck."
CRACK!
"ARRRGH!!!" Kurai breaks the mans arm, causing him to shout and scream in pain as he stumbles backwards until he falls on his back while cradling his arm. He walks towards him and grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him back up to his feet.
Kneeing him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him, and delivering punch after punch to his face with his left fist causes the man to gain an instant black eye and swollen face on his right side.
After a moment, Kurai stops to give the man a moment to breathe and think about giving up. "Well, do you yield?" He asks. Kurai wanted to avoid killing as much as he could during the tournament, but if need be, he's not afraid to.
The Black Dragon member glares at Kurai with his still working left eye before his spits in his face. "Fuck you. You can beat me as much as you want, but you won't kill me. You don't have the balls. You or that fucking blonde pretty boy." He says to Kurai defiantly.
His answer only causes Kurai to chuckle and shake his head before he looks at him with a menacing glint in his eyes. "Clearly, you don't fucking know what we're capable of, pal." He tells him before pushing him away.
He then quickly throws a pure silver kunai, with ninja wire tied at the end, that pierces the mans left shoulder. "AHHH!!!" He shouts in pain as Kurai pulls him back towards him. When he was close enough, Kurais left fist had been covered in a white flame before punching him through his chest, causing him to gasp out with shock and surprise. The man musters up what little strength he had left to look at Kurai, who was looking at him with a dangerous glare. "Told you." He says simply before grabbing him with his other hand and lifts him up over his head and began to pull.
With his natural strength, Kurai pulled and pulled until he could feel the mans waist and torso begin to break apart. He continued to pull while the man screams bloody murder until Kurai separates his legs from his torso. The Black Dragon members screams then ended as Kurai tosses both separated pieces of the man to the ground with force before recovering his kunai.
KURAI WINS! FATALITY!
Recovering his kunai, Kurai looks over at Drake who looked to be holding his own against the second member of the Black Dragon clan.
Shrugging, he just crosses his arms and decides to wait for the fight to end. "He seems to be doing ok. Let's see if he can back up his claims that he will do what he has to while he's here." He thinks to himself as he watches his friend.
After Drake had been tackled by the second Black Dragon member, he uses his opponents own body weight to his advantage to get back to his feet.
The Black Dragon member still had hold of Drakes waist until Drake uses his elbow against the mans back hard, specifically his spine, causing the man to drop to his knees painfully while trying to stand back up and try to get Drake back on the ground. But Drake wouldn't give the man any type of leverage to use against him. So, he elbows the mans spine again, causing him drop to his knees again, but only briefly as Drake pulls him back up to face him, but the mans knees were already wobbling.
Drake delivers multiple punch combos to the mans face and torso before causing him to spin in the air with a roundhouse kick, knocking back to the ground.
Spitting out blood, the man glares at Drake and stands back up before rushing him again to tackle him to the ground, but Drake, suspecting he would try this again, braced for the impact and caught him around his waist. The man tried lifting Drake up to throw him down to the ground, but where he was currently weak in the legs, he didn't have the strength to left him up.
"The Black Dragon clan? They should really consider changing the name to the Fruity Pebbles clan, because I never thought that members of the Black Dragon would be this easy to fight. Considering you just tried the same maneuver again, and it STILL didn't work. How can you be this stupid?" Drake asks the man with a light laugh. The man snarls and grips Drakes waist tightly. "Shut up! The Black Dragon rivals the likes of the Red Dragon! We're one of the best organizations in the world!" He shouts at the blonde warrior.
Drake just scoffs humorously. "ONE of the best? Not THE best? There's your problem there. If you're one of the best, that just means you're not numero uno, my friend. Which is exactly why the Black Dragon clan isn't as notable as the Red Dragon clan. You don't do enough of anything to make people remember you." Drake says to his opponent before punching his spine this time, causing the man to yell out, before bring him up on weakening and wobbly legs to face him. "And that's where you've already failed." He says to him coldly before punching his face devastatingly, which stuns the man.
The Black Dragon member, still stunned, struggled to stay on his feet until Drake splits his legs and punches both of the mans knees.
CRACK!
"ARRRGH!!!" The mans screams out from the sudden pain as he drops to his knees, still screaming. "FUCK!!! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!" He shouts at Drake as he stands in front of him breathing hard. Gritting his teeth, the man decides to try and intimidate Drake. "You better kill me right now, you son of a bitch. Because once my knees heal and the tournament is over, I'm going to do everything I can to make your life a living-!" He says until Drake decide he had heard enough.
CRACK!
Drake spun and roundhouse kicked the mans head, which cause it to twist around in a 180 angle. The mans eyes twitched for a moment before his body fell forward into the sand.
DRAKE LEE WINS! FATALITY!
Sighing deeply, Drake looks over at Kurai, standing with his arms crossed, looking impressed with a smile on his face. Kurai shrugs and walks towards him. "Well? Are you satisfied now, Kurai?" He asks him as his friend walks towards him, making Kurai nod. "Yeah, you proved me wrong. I'm impressed, Drake, really. But just know that the rest of the fights won't be as easy as these two. They're only going to get harder and more difficult from now on." He admits to his friend as he places a hand on his shoulder.
"You sure you're ready for this? Knowing that what you just did is allowed on this island, the same could happen to you. Are you positive that you're ready to keep fighting?" He asks him with seriousness. Drake looks at his fallen opponent, who he had just killed mere seconds ago, and thinks thoughtfully for a moment before looking back at the best and only friend he has ever known in his life. "Yeah, I'm sure, buddy. I knew what I was getting into when Master Han told me that this would be my life. And knowing the things both you and he have taught me, as well as making friends with you?" He says before placing a hand on Kurais shoulder. "I wouldn't change that for anything." He says to him proudly and confidently.
Kurai nods with a smile. "Alright then." He says before looking at both of their fallen opponents. "What do you say we get out of here and get some rest for tonight until tomorrow morning? Let's just hope there's no more surprises waiting for us." He advises Drake, who nods before they both walk away from the bodies.
Glancing over at Kurais now deceased opponent, he stops when he sees that the mans body has been torn apart into two pieces. Looking at Kurai, who hadn't noticed that Drake had stopped, he calls out to to him with surprise. "Kurai!" Making his friend stop in his tracks before turning around to see why he called him.
"What?" He asks him. Drake says nothing, and just points at the man who had been torn in two. "What the hell happened to him?" Drake asks him with shock.
Kurai looks at the body parts then back at Drake before shrugging nonchalantly. "I tore him apart. What?" He asks calmly.
Drakes eyes widen. "Holy fuck, dude!" He shouts, causing Kurai to chuckle.