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Edenia, Barracks Training Yard, Next Morning...
The mini tournament that Jade had told Kurai about had went on as scheduled. The audience, which included Sindel, Kitana, and many of the recruits families, had all watched the tournament take place and were highly impressed with what they had seen from many of the recruits that participated.
The recruits all fought hard to get to the finals, but only one had won the tournament and it was exactly as Jade said it would be. Sorato, the top recruit of the Edenian Royal Army. The best in his class, but he also has an arrogant attitude. Whoever he thinks is beneath him, he'll treat them as such.
Jade congratulates the young man and shakes his hand then presents him with a medallion before hanging it around his neck while he subtly looks up and down her body with desire. But he keeps up his appearance as a respectful new recruit and responds kindly to Jade with a smile. After that, he prepares to walk away, but Jade stops him before she speaks to the audience and the recruits.
"Like I said, Sorato, very well done in this little tournament of ours, but the fun is not over yet." She says, confusing the recruits, the audience and Sindel and Kitana. Jade smiles before she continues. "Ladies and gentlemen. My queen and princess of the royal family, there is one last test for the winner of this tournament must take." She explains before gesturing to a large door that leads to the barracks.
The door opens and out walks Kurai, wearing his fighting gear, which causes the audience to stand up in shock while Sindel, Kitana, as well as Sorato look on with confusion. "Jade! What is the meaning of this?! Why is he here?!" One of the audience members asks Jade angrily pointing at Kurai as he walks into the training yard.
Jade remains calm as she begins to explain herself to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely apologize for the this inconvenience for you. But many of our recruits, while great fighters, have been gradually slacking on their training because they have not been presented a proper challenge to push themselves." She begins before looking over at Kurai and gestures to him.
"Kurai is one of the best fighters I know, and I know that he will present that challenge to Sorato. If the recruits want to protect Edenia, they need to understand that there are those out there that are stronger than them unless they push themselves beyond their limits." She continues while the audience chat amongst themselves, murmuring their grievances about Sorato fighting Kurai.
One of the audience members sitting near Sindel and Kitana then stands up and looks at Jade. "I'm sorry, Jade. But we will not allow one of the best recruits to fight this..." The man says before glancing over at Kurai with a condescending expression. "...this traitor." He finishes before sitting back down with a satisfied grin on his face as Jade narrows her eyes at the man.
"That's not your decision to make." Sindel suddenly says, shocking the audience as well as Sorato, who looks up at the queen of Edenia with disbelief.
"My Lady Sindel, I really must protest this-" The man says, but is swiftly interrupted by Sindel when she looks at him with a sharp glance.
"Protest if you wish, but I highly agree with Jade's reasoning. If my daughter and I are going to be protected by the future of the Royal Army, we must see what these recruits are truly capable of when they are presented with a difficult challenge. And Kurai, having fought against Shao Kahn and many others in the past, can offer such a challenge." She says to the man, and the audience, sternly before looking back down at the training yard.
She nods her head, signaling Jade to proceed. Jade nods in return then looks over at Sorato. "Sorato, take a moment to rest if you like before we begin." She tells the young Edenian, who looks over at Kurai and scoffs.
"No need, Lady Jade. I'll fight him now." He tells her arrogantly, causing her to nod before Sorato walks over to some of the recruits and takes off his medallion before handing it to one of them.
"Show that bastard what a real fighter is." The recruits tells him as Sorato smirks before looking over at the prince.
"Hmph, no problem. The fallen prince over there is going to learn what it feels like to take a beating." He says confidently, causing the other recruits to laugh humorously before he walks back out to the combat area to fight Kurai.
But before Kurai walked into the combat area, Jade had approached him and placed a tender hand on his chest. "Kurai, I know you've been frustrated lately, but just remember, you're leagues above Sorato. This is only to show him and the other recruits how far behind they've fallen." She tells him calmly.
Kurai looks at her with a confused expression. "You're making it sound like I'm going to kill him, Jade. You know me better than that." He tells her with a somewhat hurt tone as nods her head.
"I know, my love, I know. I just don't want-" She says worriedly before Kurai grabs her hand gently.
"Jade? I'm not going to kill him. But I am going to kick his ass. Someone REALLY needs to wipe that smirk off his face." He promises her before he walks away from Jade and into the combat area.
Kurai subtly glances up at Sindel and Kitana as they watch eagerly. Sindel, noticing that he was looking up at them, smiles softly and waves at him kindly. Kitana also noticed that he was looking up at them, but couldn't bring herself to smile or even wave to her little brother to let him know that she's rooting for him, and that caused her feel great pain in her heart as she watches the two young men face off.
Sorato glares at Kurai with indifference before speaking. "I suggest you just give up, Prince." He begins with a mocking tone before a grin creeps up on his face. "You wouldn't want to be embarrassed in front of mommy dearest and your dear older sister. Or even Lady Jade for that matter." He tells him arrogantly as many members of the audience and the recruits all chuckle humorously.
Kurai remains stoic and focused before crossing his arms. "The only one who's going to be embarrassed here today, Sorato, is you. You may be the strongest in your class, but you don't have half the experience to keep up with me." He tells the young recruit honestly, but this only causes Sorato to glare at him furiously.
Clenching his fists tightly, Sorato grits his teeth. "I have more than enough experience to take you down, disgraced prince!" He shouts angrily, which causes Sindel, Kitana and Jade to glare at the young man, but Kurai just smiles.
"You really think so? Show me." He says calmly before his expression becomes cold.
Kurai vs. Sorato...
"FIGHT!" Jade shouts, beginning the match.
Sorato charges forward with a shout and tries to punch Kurai, who doesn't even try to fight back. All he does is dodge or block Sorato's attacks, which begins to quickly frustrate the young recruit.
The members of the audience all watch in utter shock that Sorato, the finest recruit the Royal Army has ever seen, is having trouble fighting against Kurai.
Kurai continues to dodge each and every one of Sorato's attacks, causing Sorato to growl in frustration before he tries to sweep Kurai's legs out from under him. But Kurai jumps up into the air then lands behind Sorato before pushing him, causing the recruit to stumble forward before regaining his footing.
Off to the side, the other recruits eyes are wide as they watch Kurai outpace and outmaneuver Sorato, someone they all considered to be a superior fighter, but Kurai is proving otherwise.
"Come on, Sorato. Didn't you say that you had enough experience to take me down? Because you're awfully slow and sloppy with your movements." Kurai taunts the recruit, who seethes angrily while trying to land an attack on Kurai, but continues to miss as the prince of Edenia effortlessly dodges and blocks each of his attacks.
"ARGH!!! Hold still, damn it!" He snarls, which only causes Kurai laugh humorously at the young mans mini tantrum.
"Aw, what's wrong, Sorato? Can't keep up?" He says tauntingly as Sorato stops attacking Kurai, who continues to smirk at him. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you one free shot. But you better make it count. AND... make me feel it. Because I'm getting bored with you." He tells him tauntingly again as he leans forward and points at his cheek while leaving himself open.
Sorato hesitates. It has to be some sort of trick. "Sorato! What are you waiting for?! Knock him out! Come on!" One of the recruits yells, as she encourages the others to cheer for Sorato to finally land a punch on the cocky prince.
Working up the nerve, Sorato finally charges forward with his fist clenched before it makes contact with Kurai face. Feeling a sense of pride, he grins arrogantly that he finally punched the prince of Edenia, but that pride quickly washes away when he sees that his punch had no effect on Kurai, who didn't even look the least bit phased by his punch.
Kurai just looks at Sorato with indifference before standing up straight. He cracks his neck and sighs deeply. "Well, that was awfully disappointing. Was that really supposed to hurt? That wasn't even a tickle, kid." He says bluntly as Sorato begins to back away fearfully.
Kurai suddenly points at Sorato, who freezes. "See? There it is. Fear." He begins. "Fear of knowing that no matter how hard you try to fight me or take me down, you'll never be able to. Because like Jade said, all of you have been slacking off on your training because you think you're the next generation of warriors that will protect the Queen and Princess of Edenia and Edenia itself. But quite frankly, Sorato, none of you... are even close to ready." He says harshly with a glare.
Sorato begins to feel a cold sweat drip down his face as he looks upon Kurai fearfully, but shakes his head to regain some of his composure. "What would you know?! You're not even welcome in your own home! You are friends with Outworld scum like that abomination, Mileena! And what could you possibly know about fighting or even survival?!" The young recruit shouts with bravado, but his constant cracked tone doesn't make him sound convincing.
Kurai glares coldly at Sorato then grins before his eyes become white flames. "I know more than you could possibly imagine." He says simply before rushing forward and appears right in front of Sorato with unnatural speed.
Startled from Kurai's speed, Sorato gasps with surprise and freezes up before Kurai places his hand on the young mans chest softly then applies a tiny amount of pressure into his attack. The pressure of the attack sends Sorato flying backwards and into the wall of the training yard, rendering him unconscious and shocking the other recruits and the majority of the audience.
But Jade, Sindel and Kitana aren't surprised. They knew Sorato stood no chance against Kurai and now the point that Jade was trying to make has been made.
KURAI WINS!
Jade walks over to the unconscious Sorato and motions for one of the recruits to come over. A girl runs over to Jade and Sorato's unconscious form before kneeling down beside them. "Take Sorato to the medical bay. And be sure to tell him that we are all going to have a long discussion very soon." Jade tells the young girl, who nods before dragging Sorato away to the medical bay. Other recruits decide to help her with Sorato a moment later.
Jade walks back to the combat area, where Kurai still stood, to address the audience. "As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, these recruits have gotten too comfortable with the current state of things in Edenia. Sorato, while an exceptional fighter, has slacked off with his training. His fight with Kurai just now proves that." She says to the audience as they begin to quietly chatter amongst themselves.
Jade looks over at Kurai, who stands off to the side while looking up at the audience to wait to hear what they're going to decide about the recruits. Sindel looks at Kurai proudly with a smile as Kitana gives a small smile, happy that her little brother hasn't lost his edge since leaving the palace.
But Kurai doesn't pay attention to them, he keeps his attention on the audience and continues to wait. After a few moments, the audience quiets down as one of them, the man who spoke earlier, stands up to address Jade.
"Obviously, Jade, it does... appear that the recruits have, as you said, gotten far too comfortable with the state of things here in Edenia. Present to us what all you need in order to get these young recruits into proper shape." The man says, causing Jade to nod gratefully, but he was not yet finished. "HOWEVER..." He continues with his finger raised.
Jade looks up at the man curiously while waiting for him to continue his thoughts. "Should you ever bring that traitor back to fight the future of the Royal Army just to prove a point, your future, as well as your loyalty, will be called into question." He threatens as the audience members all nod, but Jade wasn't worried.
Sindel sighs before standing up to face the man. "Before you make yourself sound any more foolish than you already are, I suggest you sit down. Once again, that is not your decision to make. Your decision is to decide what you are to provide to our recruits when Jade presents their needs to you." She begins to explain as the older gentleman sits down at the Queen's order and listens.
"This, of course, was one such demonstration that needed to be made. Jade has even said to me herself that the recruits have been slacking after she presented to you their results, but you refused to listen. Many of you have even told her that the recruits will be fine and that they need no further training." She continues as she looks all around her at the members of the audience, who all fidget uncomfortably in their seats, having been called out for their incompetence.
"And after what we have just witnessed, I believe at this point that the recruits will need much more training if they are to even stand a chance against potential hostile forces that threaten us. And Jade's loyalty has always been, and always will be, to Edenia. The same can be said for my son, the Prince of Edenia, YOUR prince. Even though many of our people shun him." She goes on, making Kurai scoff, but he stays quiet as Sindel continues with her speech to the audience members.
"Now then, since we've been provided proof that the recruits need more training, I shall send messages to the greatest warriors in Edenia and ask them to come here to train our recruits. Let us all hope it will not take long for us to receive a reply from these warriors." She concludes as she begins to walk away with Kitana in tow behind her.
"Mother." Kurai suddenly calls to her, causing Sindel, Kitana and the audience members to stop in their tracks before looking at him.
"Yes, Kurai?" Sindel says softly, waiting to hear what Kurai has to say.
"I have a perfect candidate for one such warrior, though he is not from Edenia, but Earth Realm. So may I make a suggestion?" He asks her with a soft tone, causing her to smile.
"No! We do not need any more outsiders in Edenia!" A female audience member shouts at Kurai, but he ignores the woman as Sindel glares at her.
"Be silent." She hisses at the woman, making her flinch and step back as Sindel looks back at her beloved son. "Of course you can make a suggestion, Kurai. Please continue. Who is this warrior you have in mind?" She asks curiously.
Jade and Kitana look at Kurai with knowing expressions on their faces, they already knew who he was going to suggest.
"Temple Master Akuma of the Dark Wu Shi Academy. He's one of the best warriors and teachers I know. If there is any one person in all the realms that can get these recruits into the shape they need to be in, it's him." Kurai suggests confidently as Sindel begins to think about his recommendation.
She then looks over at Jade, who looks back up at Sindel then nods with a confident smile. Sindel looks back at Kurai and nods lightly with a smile. "I'll consider your recommendation greatly, Kurai." She says, shocking the audience members and the remaining recruits that stayed behind in the training yard.
"What?! No! Lady Sindel, we can't just-!"
"Silence! I have spoken!" Sindel cuts off another audience member, who huffs from the disrespect before storming off.
Sindel looks back at Kurai tenderly with a smile. "Meet Kitana and I near the entrance, Kurai. Jade will guide you there. Let's talk in the royal carriage." She says sweetly before walking away with Kitana and the remaining audience members as the recruits begin to leave themselves.
Kurai sighs as Jade walks over to him and plants a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for holding back against Sorato. You would have destroyed his spirit if you had defeated him quickly." She says with a chuckle, causing Kurai to laugh lightly.
"Perhaps I should have. Even when he knew he couldn't defeat me, he still deluded himself enough to make himself think he could." He tells her seriously before looking in the direction that Sorato had been taken to the medical bay.
Jade looks at Kurai with confusion. "Kurai, even you yourself have acted and fought on faith. Don't you think you should at least respect Sorato for doing the same?" She asks him curiously before he looks back at her and shakes his head.
"Jade, there is a massive difference between faith and delusion. Even when I'm beaten down to the point where I'm exhausted, I continue to fight because I know that if I can still stand, I have a chance to win. THAT is not delusion, that's faith." He explains as Jade listens to him.
"I have seen many people die, Jade, from being arrogant in the beginning of a fight, to being beaten down so badly that they can barely stand anymore. But when they're pride, ego and arrogance are so deep rooted inside them they'll do everything and anything they can make themselves think they can win when they've already lost. I have seen friends, good friends, die many times because of that. And it's not the sign of a brave warrior or fighter. It's the sign of someone who is too afraid to lose, and they're mind can't handle the thought." He concludes, causing her to nod with understanding after a moment.
She then leads him to the entrance of the barracks training yard to see Sindel and Kitana waiting for them. Sindel smiles happily while Kitana also smiles, but it wasn't as genuine as Sindel's.
Kurai smiles before turning to Jade and kisses her before they both separate. Jade leaves to head back into the barracks as Kurai walks towards his mother and sister, but stops when he sees Kitana lean to Sindel and whisper something to her.
Sindel then suddenly looks at Kitana with disappointment and begins to whisper harshly to her, which causes them to argue back and forth with each other. Seemingly having had enough, Kitana suddenly storms off and gets inside her own carriage and heads back to the palace without a word to Kurai.
Kurai, with an infuriated expression, glares at Kitana's carriage before he sighs deeply and continues to walk towards his mother. "Problems in paradise, mother?" He asks condescendingly as Sindel looks at her son with a sad smile before suddenly hugging him.
She sighs contentedly before kissing his cheek then guides him into the carriage. "Come. We can talk in the carriage and the palace." She tells him as they both hop inside the carriage before it carries them both to the palace.
After a few moments of silence during the ride, Sindel decides to speak first. "How are you, Kurai?" She asks him kindly as Kurai laughs softly while looking out the opening of the carriage.
"Mother, you saw me last week. You don't have to keep checking up on me, you know." He says with a smile before glancing at her.
She smiles and nods. "I know, sweetheart. But Jade told me what you told her yesterday. Stores in the city kept turning you away?" She asks him worriedly, causing him to hesitate before nodding. "Why didn't you come to the palace with Kitana? It's still your home, you know? You're always welcome there even though you moved out." She says to him tenderly.
Kurai sighs then looks at her. "Because Kitana was too embarrassed to be seen with me, let alone talk to me. She made an effort when she saw me, but when she offered to take me to the palace to talk, the people were oh so shocked that their princess would talk with the outcast that she froze up and just stopped talking all together." He explains as Sindel sighs with disappointment, not just with Kitana, but the people of Edenia.
"Kurai... I know I haven't made things easy since you came back, but I want you to know that-" Sindel begins to explain, but stops when Kurai gently grabs one of her hands.
"Mother, you don't have to apologize. You're the Queen of Edenia, but you're still the woman who gave birth to me. You've been nothing but one of my biggest supporters. And I know that not everyone here in Edenia sees me as a spy for Outworld. I still love and care about Edenia, because you, Jade, Ophelia and Kitana are all here." He tenderly explains to her, causing her to smile before he continues and sits back in his seat.
"But, Kitana is the one that's not making things easy. I mean, by the Elder Gods, she's one of the best warriors the realms have ever seen, but when she finally comes home to Edenia, she suddenly cares about what people think and who she talks to? It doesn't make sense to me." He says with a frustrated sigh and drags his hands down his face.
Sindel sighs and nods. "You're frustrated, Kurai, I know. It's all frustrating, I get it. Just give her some time. She's barely been able to hold herself together since you left the palace. And I'm not saying that's your fault." She explains while Kurai looks at her and listens.
"I'm just saying that she misses you. And so do I." She tells him honestly with a saddened expression. "I'm not asking you to come back to the palace, Kurai. I'm just saying that it would be nice for you to come visit us too every once in a while too. You don't have to be the Prince, Kurai, I just want my son. I lost you once already, Kurai, I won't survive if I lose you again." She says with trembling lips as Kurai just smiles.
"Mother, you're making it sound like I'm dying." He says to her with a chuckle, which causes her to release a weeping laugh and wipe her tears away before Kurai moves to sit down beside her and hug her tightly.
She hugs him back and sighs before they pull away. "All I'm saying is that despite what people may think, I'm still the Queen and your mother, and the palace is still your home. You will always be welcome there, Kurai." She tells him sincerely before kissing his cheek tenderly.
Kurai smiles and nods before hugging Sindel again as they feel the carriage come to a stop. One of the guards opens the carriage door to show that they had pulled up to the palace courtyard before the guard helps Sindel out of the carriage with Kurai behind her.
Kurai escorts Sindel up to the entrance of the palace but stops when he suddenly feels a tug on his pant leg. He looks down to see a little girl, a daughter of one of the guards, looking up at him with a genuine smile and a bundle of flowers in her hands. She takes one of the flowers from the bundle and hands it to him.
Kurai hesitates a moment before reaching out and takes the flower. The little girl looks at him with an even brighter smile. "I don't think you're a bad man, Prince Kurai. You gave us back our home. In my eyes, you're a hero." She tells him sincerely as a guard, the little girl's mother, walks up to her and apologizes to Sindel and Kurai, but Sindel smiles kindly and waves it off.
But before the guard walks away with her daughter, Kurai kneels down in front of the girl, takes another one of the flowers and gently tucks it behind her ear with a smile. "I'm no hero, little miss. I only did what I felt was right. Anyone in their right mind would have done the same." He tells her truthfully, making her smile.
She then tenderly places a hand on his cheek. "You're still a hero to me, my Prince." She tells him softly, causing Kurai nod with a smile.
The little girl walks away with her mother and waves at Kurai. He smiles and waves back before he hears Sindel giggle softly. He turns his head and looks up at her. "What are you giggling about?" He asks her with an amused grin.
Sindel smiles then shakes her head and waves her hand. "Nothing. I'm just wondering if you still think that the people here are a lost cause?" She asks him curiously with a sly grin.
Kurai laughs softly before standing up. "Mother, I don't think that one little girl is going to change the minds of half the population of Edenia." He tells her honestly as she smiles and chuckles.
"But all it takes is for just one person to believe in something. Believe in it strongly and the rest will follow soon after. It may take some time, but it will cause people to come around." She explains confidently.
Kurai still wasn't as certain as Sindel, but he nods all the same with a smile.
"Jade has informed me that she's assigned you to be my personal guard for the banquet tonight. Is this true?" She asks him curiously, causing him to laugh.
"Would Jade lie to you?" He asks humorously, which makes her laugh before nodding.
"Then I'm already in good hands." She says proudly and hands Kurai an invitation to the banquet before hugging him then kisses his cheek softly. "I'll see you tonight at the banquet then. Maybe you and I will find the chance to talk with Kitana while the other royals are stuffing their faces and drinking themselves into a stupor." She tells him with an amused expression as Kurai chuckles.
"We'll see, mother. We'll see. I'll see you tonight." He tells her kindly before kissing her cheek then begins to walk away from the palace to head home.
Hours Later, Nighttime, Edenian Royal Palace...
Throwing on the same combat gear that he received from Han in Earth Realm to wesr for the banquet, Kurai approaches the gates of the palace and hands one of the palace guards his invitation.
After authenticating the invitation, the guard nods and commands one of the others to open the gate and allow Kurai in.
Inhaling and sighing deeply, Kurai walks towards the entrance of the palace as he sees Jade with Ophelia at the entrance wearing beautiful clothes, but still combat appropriate. They both notice him and wave him over with bright smiles on their faces.
"Well, here we go." He says quietly as he walks towards them and the palace.
