Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios, and Warner Bros.
Shao Kahn and Kurai stare at each other for a moment before the emperor grins and begins to chuckle. "So, I guess the sorcerer was telling the truth, afterall. You're still alive." He begins the conversation with the prince as Kurai rolls his eyes in annoyance, already understanding what Shao Kahn meant.
"Am I correct in assuming that the old goat used my existence to save his sorry ass from you killing him?" He asks the hulking emperor, who nods his head with a smirk.
Kurai sighs deeply as Shao Kahn begins to walk along the side of the table, while Kurai walks on the opposite side, keeping a close eye on the emperor. "I'm going to assume from your... lack of fear, that I'm not quite what you imagined me to be." He says to Kurai, who shakes his head. "Then pray tell, what did you imagine me to be... prince?" He asks him in an almost mocking tone, causing Kurai to narrow his eyes.
"Truthfully, I imagined you to be more of a... well, a giant, really. Not... whatever the hell it is you are. I would say a man, but you're not from Earth Realm. So, honestly at this point, I don't know what you are, but you're not what was expecting." He says to the emperor truthfully, not caring if he insulted him or not, but his blunt honesty causes Shao Kahn laugh boisterously as they both walk slowly down alongside the dinner table.
"Truth. Honesty. I don't get much of that around here. And quite frankly, coming from you, Kurai, it's a breath of fresh air." He tells Kurai as he glances at him with his blazing red eyes.
Kurai could see plain as day what Shao Kahn was trying to do. Put him at ease, make it seem like he's a reasonable and patient man, but the reputation he has heard over the years would say otherwise. Inhaling then sighing deeply, Kurai decides to call him out. "Shao Kahn, let's drop the bullshit. What is it you want with me, and why did you want to talk to me?" He asks the man, who stops in his tracks then glances over at the Edenian prince and the facade of the calm and reasonable emperor instantly drops as he just glares at the young prince.
"Very well. You want to get straight to business? We shall do just that. I like it." He begins with a sinister grin as Kurai listens with his arms crossed, curious as to what the cruel emperor of Outworld had to say. "I asked to speak with you alone, because I have a request." He tells Kurai, who gains a curious expression on his face.
"And that is?" He asks, causing Shao Kahn to grin more.
"Join us, Kurai. Let the warriors of Earth Realm fend for themselves. Leave them... and join me to fight for all of Outworld. Reunite with your sister, stand by our side, and you shall have whatever you want. A grand fortune, the right to rule, and as many women as you want. Fight for Outworld, and all of that can be yours. It's time for you to stand where you belong." He offers to Kurai, who stares at Shao Kahn with a stoic expression.
He then grins and shakes his head lightly. "Whatever I want, huh? Well, let me tell you something, Shao Kahn... there is nothing that you can offer me that I can't get on my own. And I don't need a title to get it. So, you can take that offer of yours, and shove it straight up where the sun doesn't shine." He says to the emperor defiantly, causing Shao Kahn to frown at the prince for his disrespect.
Slamming his hands down on the dinner table, Shao Kahn glares at Kurai with his red eyes glowing with rage. "Watch yourself, boy! My patience, as well as my mercy, has its limits!" He shouts threateningly at Kurai, who calmly places his hands on the dinner table with a calm expression.
Looking at Shao Kahn calmly, Kurai responds to the emperors statement. "I have heard the limits of your patience and mercy, Shao Kahn. And believe me when I tell you this, my kindness as well as my compassion has its own limits for people like you. So, do yourself a favor, and don't test it. Because I have little to none for you." He tells him as Shao Kahn continues to glare at him before Kurai begins to walk away from the table, saying what he needed to say.
Shao Kahn quickly follows him with infuriated stomps, as he comes upon Kurai, he roughly grabs his arm and squeezes tightly. "Don't you walk away from me, boy. If you turn down your rightful place at my side and your sisters, I will not make this offer again. This is your last chance." He threatens the prince, who sighs deeply as he turns his head to gaze at the emperor.
Grabbing Shao Kahn's hand and prying it off of his arm, Kurai squeezes tightly, causing the emperor to feel his bones start to crack as he tries to use his strength to overpower him, but to no avail. "Touch me again, Shao Kahn, and it will be the last mistake you ever make in your miserable life." Kurai threatens him dangerously before shoving his hand away then softly strikes his chest with his palm, pushing the emperor back towards the wall on the other side of the room.
Landing roughly against the wall, but still standing, Shao Kahn looks in bewilderment at Kurai. He had just sent him across the room with just a single palm strike. "Shang Tsung said he was strong, but I believed he was exaggerating! Just how strong is he?! No one is stronger than me! NO ONE!!!" He thinks to himself, still speechless by what just happened.
Staring at Shao Kahn calmly with a stoic expression, Kurai lowers his hand. "I'll see you at the tournament... emperor." He says simply with a mock bow before turning around and walking out of the room.
Shao Kahn clenches his teeth angrily at the humiliation, but was thankful that no one from the audience earlier saw what just happened. His strength and authority would be put in jeopardy and put into question if anyone had seen it.
Sighing deeply to regain his composure, Shao Kahn walks up to his throne, grabs his war hammer, which was sitting beside the throne, then proceeds to walk out of the throne room. He then stops for a moment to pause then in a fierce rage, slams his fist against the stone wall, causing the wall to crack from the force. Shoa Kahn then leaves in a huff to head to the Coliseum.
Minutes later, with Kurai...
Walking down the hallway to clear his mind before heading towards the Coliseum, Kurai examines the area around him while listening with his other senses to gather clues and figure out where Drake might be held.
"Kurai?" A voices calls out to him, causing him to stop, a voice from someone he's wanted to talk to desperately for a while. Turning around in the direction the voice came from, Kurai sees Kitana and Jade standing at the end of the hall, both were trembling with tears building up in their eyes.
"Gods... finally..." Kitana whispers tearfully as both she and Kurai rush towards each other before crashing into each other with a loving embrace as Jade stands at a healthy distance with a smile on her face. Kitana hugs her little brother tightly before pulling her mask down to kiss him all over his face. "Gods... you've grown. And so handsome. Let me look at you." She says pulling back to examine how well her little brother has grown.
"My goodness, Kurai. I thank all who took care of you for 9,000 years. So tall, handsome, and quite dashing like our father." She says to him before leaning in close to look at his eyes. "But you have our mothers eyes. We both do. Thank the Elder Gods for that." She says says humorously, causing both Kurai and Kitana to share a laugh while Jade chuckles.
"One other thing." She says before smacking hard on the arm, which doesn't phase him, as he looks at her with bewilderment that she just smacked him out of the blue.
But he decides to humor her for fun. "Um, ow. What was that for?" He asks her curiously.
Kitana gains a agitated expression as she narrows her eyes. "What was that for?" She repeats before smacking him hard on the arm again. "What was that for?!" She says again while both Kurai AND Jade look at Kitana with confusion. "THAT was for asking Jade to not tell me the truth about you at the tournament. And the other one was for stopping me from approaching you after the tournament when that old goat revealed you." She explains, causing Kurai and Jade to gain understanding expressions while she ranted.
"Kurai, why, WHY didn't you come back with us to Outworld after the tournament? You belong with me. With Jade. You belong with both of us. We are the last remaining memories of Edenia. We need to look after each other. Not work against each other or keep secrets from one another." She explains to her brother, who nods in agreement before looking up at her.
She grabs him and holds him close before he speaks. "Kitana, you have no idea how sorry I am that I kept this a secret from you, but given who you work with, I had my reasons." He explains, causing her to nod as she gently strokes his long hair. "But I desperately wanted to speak to you, even during the tournament. However, I didn't want to approach you without some sort of proof, which I never got because I gave up that chance." He continues, causing his sister to glow brightly.
"But you're here now, Kurai, and now you can find the answers to your past. I can take you to the library here in the palace. Maybe we can even help regain some of your memories?" She says to him, hoping that he will take up her offer.
Off to the side, Jade shakes her head and sighs as Kurai shakes his head as well before gently taking Kitana's hands off him. "I'm sorry, Kitana. But I imagine that the area is off limits to outsiders. And since I'm here to fight for Earth Realm, I'm considered an outsider." He explains to her as gently as he can as Kitana feels her heart breaking into pieces.
"But... no... NO! You're my brother! My brother! You should be fighting with me, not against me! Edenia is gone, Outworld is my home now! And it can be yours too! But only if you stop fighting with the warriors from Earth Realm and fight with me!" She shouts angrily and holds him by his arms while Jade watches the siblings sadly. "Kurai, please. My dear little brother... join me... join me and fight by my side. Join Outworld and reunite with me. Let us join forces and become a force to be reckoned with." She continues while looking at Kurai pleadingly.
Kurai sighs calmly before leaning in close to Kitana and kisses her cheek softly. "Kitana, if I turn on my friends now, how could you ever be able to trust me if I can turn on others so easily?" He asks him curiously, causing her to pause at his question. The sad thing is, for her, she knows he's right.
If she is able to convince him to turn on his friends, his allies, so easily, how can she bring herself to trust her own brother if he is so easily swayed? She loves her brother, even more so now that he is back, but she cannot trust him if he is not going to remain true to his word.
She desperately tries to come up with ways to explain that she would still tryst him, regardless, but after being hurt and betrayed so much in the past before today, Kitana knows that she'll only be lying to and deluding herself if she tries to convince him to switch sides.
Frustrated as well as agitated that she can't think of a way to bring her brother to her side, Kitana screams furiously before walking away with tears streaming down her face as she walks away to the Coliseum. Kurai sighs sadly and turns to watch her walk away as Jade walks up to him. "I'm sorry, Kitana." He whispers sadly before looking over at Jade, who embraces him in a tight hug and sighing contentedly.
"I'm sorry I told her, my prince. After the tournament, she started looking for mementos of you and your whole family. After that, she and I haven't been... chatty. She's been avoiding me as best as she can the whole month." Jade explains as Kurai wraps his arms around her tightly.
Kurai shakes his head lightly with a smile. "Don't worry about it, Jade. You were only doing what I asked you to do. If anyone is to blame, it's me." He reassures her as they both stand in the hallway in a comfortable silence.
After a few moments, Jade pulls away and looks in the direction that Kitana had left and sighs deeply, knowing that she may regret leaving his arms. "Gods... as much as I don't want to leave your lovely embrace, Kurai, I can't leave Kitana alone. Especially with the state that she's now in." She explains to him, causing him to nod understandably.
"I understand, Jade. Go. Watch out for Kitana and take care of her as best as you can. Or as best as she will allow." He says jokingly, which causes her to laugh before nodding.
"I will, you have my word." She says to him and turns to walk away, but stops. She thinks for a moment to herself. "I may never get another chance like this again." She says to herself in her head before suddenly turning back towards Kurai, pulls down her mask then grasps his gi tightly then begins kissing him passionately.
Taken aback by what Jade has just done, Kurai freezes up, but soon eases into the kiss as he pulls her close to him while they continue to kiss each other with a fierce passion. She soon pulls away with a bright smile on her face before giggling then hugs him again.
Embracing her softly, Kurai remains confused. It wasn't unwelcome, but still shocking as it was confusing. "Jade... what... why did you do that?" He asks her curiously.
She quietly laughs sadly. "So he hasn't remembered that much of anything yet." She thinks to herself before pulling away to look up at him, then pecks his lips again. "Regain your memories first, my prince, then we can pick up where we left off." She explains to him cryptically.
Kurai looks at her with confusion. "And... where did we leave off, Jade? We were only kids when Edenia fell." He says to her with confusion, which causes her to gently brush her finger against his lips while grinning seductively.
"Like I said, regain your memories first, then we can talk." She says to him, but Kurai remains slightly concerned.
He grasps her hand gently and holds it close to him. "What if I do, but we can't talk? After the tournament, we might see each other again." He explains to her, causing her to look down before looking up with a hopeful expression.
"We'll find a way, Kurai. We're Edenians, we always find a way." She says to him brightly before kissing him again, pulls her mask up then takes off in search of Kitana, leaving Kurai standing alone in the hall.
He chuckles before sighing deeply. He then looks to the side with uncertainty before he decides to head to the Coliseum. Shao Kahn and many others will be expecting him to make an appearance while also compete in the tournament. It would be best to leave the rescue of Sonya and Drake to Raiden and the others while he keeps all eyes on him. If he tries to do anything but compete in the tournament, it would only put Drake and Sonya more at risk.
Looking up at the ceiling before letting out an exasperated sigh, Kurai shakes his head softly. "Sonya, Drake, I'm sorry, but I'll have to leave your rescue to Raiden and the others. I'll check up on you the first chance I get." He thinks to himself while sighing deeply then gains a serious expression before heading towards the direction of the Coliseum.
"Outworld will know what happens when you mess with the people I care about. And so will all of Shao Kahn's court." He thinks fiercely.
Prison Tower, Outworld...
Skarlet walks into the prison tower room that held the Earth Realm warrior, Drake Lee, to deliver the news that Kurai has come to Outworld.
Walking up to Drake, who was currently asleep, Skarlet pats his cheek gently to wake him up. Groaning from being disturbed, Drake opens his eyes painfully before looking up at the red head. "What is it now?" He manages to ask her quietly, which causes her to look at him with slight sympathy. She may be an assassin and she's killed people while their backs were turned, but she doesn't torture her prisoners while their restrained.
Clearing her throat, Skarlet speaks. "I came to inform you that your friend, Kurai, and his allies have come to Outworld. They are here to participate in the new tournament, but don't get your hopes up for their victory." She says to him stoically, causing Drake to smile before he laughs for a moment, but stops from pain currently plaguing his body.
"I wouldn't speak so soon, Lady Skarlet. Don't be so sure that Outworld will win so easily. Nothing is certain and nothing is given. Shang Tsung was proven wrong at the tournament, now Shao Kahn will see just how wrong he is about Earth Realm." He says to her, which causes her to narrow her eyes, but she doesn't say a word.
Then a new pair of footsteps walks in the room, causing Skarlet to look to the side before moving away from Drake as the new individual stands in front of him. "Like the woman said, Drake, don't get your hopes up. Outworld has more promising warriors than Earth Realm does." The new individual says to him, causing Drake to lift his head up more to see who was now speaking to him.
When he gains eye contact with the person, Drake's eyes widen in shock. "Percival Silva?! What are you doing here?!" He manages to shout out, causing the former Temple Master to chuckle darkly.
He leans down close to Drake's face with a smug grin. "Why, I'm here to help the Emperor of Outworld win this tournament, so that I can finally get what I rightfully deserve. And that's to be the Grandmaster of the Dark Wu Shi Temple after I kill the old man." He tells Drake arrogantly, causing Drake to spit in his face, which makes Silva to back away with a furious expression.
Drake just smirks. "You want to get to Grandmaster Han? You should already know there's only one person you have to go through to get to him. And you have not once been able to beat him." He says to Silva with a laugh. This infuriates Silva as he walks up to smack Drake, but his arm is caught by Skarlet, who only stares at Silva with an emotionless expression.
"Unhand me, you fucking blood witch! I am going to teach this orphan bastard how to respect his superiors!" He shouts at her and tries to yank his arm out of her hold, but she doesn't budge and it begins to anger Silva that much more.
Skarlet remains unfazed. "You wanted to deliver your message, you have. You wanted to gloat, you did. But you will not strike him while he is being held in chains. I've met mindless creatures with more honor than scum like you. Take your business elsewhere and leave, before I drain you dry of your blood as I take it into my own." She warns him dangerously while squeezing his wrist, causing him to slightly grimace from the pain before letting him go.
Silva nurses his wrist while looking at Skarlet before looking at Drake. "Don't think this is over, orphan. Once I kill Kurai, you're next." He threatens him before turning around sharply and exits the room.
Drake watches Silva leave before looking over at Skarlet. "Why didn't you let him hit me? It's not like you care what happens to me anyway." He says to her curiously, causing her to look down for a moment before looking over at him.
"I know what it's like to be beaten down by scum while being held in chains. I also know what it's like to be called... an orphan. Unwanted. Unworthy. Street filth. I've been called many things, Drake Lee. While I do not care what happens to you, I will not have a prisoner struck down while in chains. I may be an assassin, but I have not killed anyone while they were restrained." She explains to him, to which he understands the sentiment.
He been called many things growing up in his life before reaching the Dark Wu Shi Temple. It was there that he met Kurai, and it was Kurai who taught him that not everyone is like the people that treated him badly. It was rare that he would meet someone with the same background, but he never imagined that he would meet someone like himself in Outworld of all places.
"I guess it's all the same in every realm, not just Earth Realm." He thinks to himself before looking back at Skarlet for a moment. "Lady Skarlet?" He calls out to her, causing the assassin to look over at him curiously. "Thank you." He says to her, which causes her eyes to widen.
She tilts her head and looks at him curiously again. "Why thank me? I'm not here to help you, Drake Lee. I'm keeping you prisoner. Why thank me for that?" She asks him, making him shrug with a weak smile.
"I'm not thanking you for keeping me prisoner, Lady Skarlet. I'm thanking you for showing me that... maybe not everyone here in Outworld is all bad." He explains to her, causing her to think for a moment before nodding with understanding.
"You're welcome, Drake Lee." She says to him nonchalantly, before walking away towards the exit of the room. "I'll be gone for just a moment or two. I shall bring you back some food and water. It will do no good if you were to die." She says to him from over her shoulder, causing him to smile.
"And here I thought you didn't care what happens to me." He says jokingly as she leaves, which makes her smile underneath her mask.