Chapter 9: The Tournament; Round 1

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Kuai Liang spoke as he stood in the center of the rather large square platform of a ring. "I welcome you to the Lin Kuei's first ever induction tournament! Of all the years the Lin Kuei have been in action, this is the first time our clan has lived a peaceful existence. Many of you must be aware of what the former clan has become; the now false Lin Kuei called the Tekunin. Their ways are not what true Lin Kuei should live by. We are not petty assassins. We are not thieves. We are men and women who aim to protect and preserve the ancient teachings that were lost and corrupted so long ago. We…are the Lin Kuei!"

Sub-Zero's words were given applause by the members of the Lin Kuei he and Tomas managed to rescue from assimilation. The Edenians and various warriors also joined in on the applause to the current Grand Master.

"Now, allow me to explain the rules of this tournament." Sub-Zero was sure some of them were expecting a gore-fest much like Mortal Kombat, but they would be sadly mistaken. "The only way to win is by knock out, submission, or being knocked out of the ring with both feet touching the floor," he explained, "death, stabbing, and amputating are not allowed. If you must use a weapon, it must not be able to cause any serious injuries. The moment this is done, you will be disqualified as a potential member of our clan. A warrior must know how to battle without his or her weapons at their disposal." This put a damper on many warriors fighting style, but that was the point of it all. "The first match will begin shortly. Princess Kitana has prepared a ceremony of dance and song to be performed by some of Edenia's most talented dancers and musicians. Enjoy."

With the applause of the crowd, Sub-Zero left the stage.

Mileena was warming up in the area set aside for the competitors to get themselves ready for their fights. Several warriors were scattered about to get themselves centered. For her own peaceful ritual, Mileena did a series of stretches with her arms and legs. Just as she stood from doing an entire warm-up stretches, she suddenly felt the presence of another. The sudden light impact on the ground near her was the crouching Khamaleon coming to pay her a visit. She was not alone, either.

"Mileena," Kitana spoke up to her sister, "I wanted to come by to personally wish you luck. Are you at all nervous?"

The now pale and scaly Khameleon stood and shook her head. "There is no trepidation that I can sense from her. I have confidence in her of myriad levels."

Even with the presence of her sister and newest friend, Mileena's confidence was a little thrown off. Out of the three of them she was the only one wearing a mask. She refused to go without it until she had the courage to show Kuai Liang her true face. Her moment of silence was broken by a giggle. "Kitana, Khameleon, Mileena is glad you came to say such." She bowed her head lightly.

"Sister," Kitana said while placing her hand on her shoulder. "I know how much this means to you. I will be cheering for you the entire way. Just remember; when this is all over with, please send me post cards from Earthrealm, okay?" She shared light laughter with her twin.

Even as Mileena laughed, her nerves bundled up in her stomach even more. "Mileena will do so!"

"I want you to be careful." Khameleon picked up on Mileena's emotions. She felt the need to get her focused with her task at hand rather than her goal. "I had the opportunity to see your opponent. His name is Krad; he seems to be dead-set on securing this apprentice ship. He has not let Sub-Zero out of his sights since he arrived."

Mileena picked up on Khameleon's tone. Even so, Mileena simply took this into mind. "Mileena will defeat him. There is none who will get in her way…"

"That is what I want to hear!" Kitana grinned while she stepped back. She heard a set of footsteps heading their way. "Khameleon, come. Mileena has another visitor." She glanced over her shoulder and moved beyond her sister. "Good luck!"

When the women walked around her, she had a clear view of Kuai Liang heading her way. Her heart stopped for that moment and started to kick back to life when he was near her. Petrified, the woman nervously poked her fingers into one another. "K-Kuai Liang? An honor you would come see me. M-Mileena…I mean…I…am very excited for…um…" She was glad her mask covered the majority of her now red cheeks.

"Mileena, you do not have to force proper speech. It always seems to make you nervous." His deep tone was like sparks in the air to Mileena's ears. It made goose bumps form on the back of her neck. "I wanted to talk to you, actually. We haven't had much of a chance to do so since the previous tournament."

"W-well…um…" She looked around herself to be sure Kitana or Khameleon wasn't watching her to tease her any kind of way. When she made eye contact with Kuai again she took a deep breath. "Yes. We have not had much of a chance. What did you want to talk about?"

Despite what Mileena may have thought, he was very aware of her facial features. Still, he did not feel repulsed by it. "I just wanted to say that I plan on remaining in this realm a few more days before I return to Earth. Win or lose, I wanted to invite you to dinner with me."

Dinner? Was he insane? That would mean he'd see her teeth! Her manner of eating wasn't exactly pretty… "Dinner…? Well…um…" Even so, he desired to have dinner with her. Were they going to be alone? Were others going to come? Not to mention she felt extremely silly about entering the tournament now that he directly wished to eat with her. The mixed emotions of fear and excitement overflowed within her. "N-no…Mileena can't…"

"Oh," It wasn't the answer he expected, "well, I will leave you to your training, Mileena. " He motioned his fist over his heart, getting ready to bow before her.

"Wait…!" In a panic, she spoke up. She went against her fear and spoke very quickly. "Mileena-will-go-if-you-make-a-promise…!"

Startled, Kuai's eyes widened just that instance. "Miss Mileena. I am not sure I understood all of that."

Her fidgeting fingers continued to tap into one another. She wished she had her teddy bear with her. It helped calm her down when she got anxious. "If…you promise not to laugh at Mileena—I mean at me, or run away." She lowered her head timidly. She couldn't keep eye contact with him as she said that. It probably sounded childish to him. Even with being ten thousand years old like her sister, her experience and mindset in romantic pursuits were similar to a young teenaged Earth girl.

Sub-Zero took hold of Mileena's hands softly. His thumbs brushed over her knuckles while he kept his eyes on her. This urged her to look up to him, and slowly erase the world about them. "I promise." His words were simple, but they were impactful enough to begin to soothe Mileena's fidgeting nerves. "I must go now. Good luck, Mileena."

She was left speechless. Her yellow eyes softened up as a fuzzy and fluttery feeling overcame her. When Sub-Zero walked away, she was left holding either side of her cheeks. She giggled at the thought of holding his hand…, hugging him, laughing with him, and even making love to him. Her mind was rushing in every direction, but she had to snap back to reality.

"Leena," A voice came from behind her. When the woman turned, she met eyes with Nido while he approached her. He was without his weapon for once. Since his spear would maim someone easily. "Got a second?"

"Sure." She was getting a lot of visitors, but he was a potential opponent in this tournament. She would make time even if she didn't have it. "What is it?"

Nido seemed uneasy. He grasped Mileena's arm and walked her off to the side a bit. "We've got some hostile company," he spoke low, "some Netherealmers entered this tournament. I don't know if you can pick it up…but there are definitely some sixth and seventh rings here." He was sure that made no sense to the woman, so he quickly explained. "Pretty much people from the sixth and seventh levels of the Netherrealm. Deep in its pits."

"Mileena must report this!" Just as she started to turn away, Nido pulled her back.

"No, don't do that." He kept his tone hushed. "We give them away now, and we may cost everyone. If they're in this tournament, then they're the best warriors they've got. We beat them, then we've got the advantage when they all are eliminated."

"How many of them are there?"

"Three in the tournament, but I can smell a fourth somewhere in the area." He released her arm. He motioned his head toward the ring. "Right on the other side."

Mileena took a quick glance. She saw three women standing beside one another. There were two pale women, and one darker skinned woman with ivory hair. Each of them had tribal designs either painted or tattooed on their faces. Mileena's nostrils couldn't pick up on any odd scent…it was good Nido knew how to sniff them out.

"I've got their names. Kia, Jataaka, and Sareena. Fought their kind before." He exhaled while recalling not-so-fond encounters with demonic beings disguised as humans back home. "Eliminate them, and we should have an advantage if any sneak attack occurs. Got it?"

"Got it." Mileena confirmed with him. She turned to face the stage head on, glaring toward the women way across the ring. They did not see her, not yet at least, but she didn't care. "Prepare yourself for your match. Good luck, Nido."

"Right back at you, Leena." The hunter stepped around her and found his own personal space to prepare himself.

Within a few minutes, Kuai Liang called out from his seat to settle the spectators. "Warriors!" His tone echoed through the arena. "Our first battle is about to begin! I call forth the bandaged warrior, Fukushu! She will be facing the Shaolin enigma, Hornbuckle!"

"Waah!" A loud war cry was heard while the green clad Shaolin warrior threw his coat off of his body. The crowd applauded the man as he jumped into the ring. The tattooed monk was clad in traditional robes, fully respecting the monks who raised him. "The Shaolin will be victorious yet again!" He vowed loudly, all before his opponent appeared out of thin air.

Fukushu landed silently across from him in a flutter of red ribbons of smoke. She bowed respectfully to Hornbuckle, not uttering a single word. The monk returned the gesture, but quickly took stance.

"Fight!" Sub-Zero commanded. Immediately the crowd began to cheer loudly for the match in progress.

Hornbuckle roared loudly. A spiral of flames ripped forward from his mouth, reaching heights of eight feet in diameter. The powerful blast was meant to knock the woman back, but the monk found he hit nothing but the air. Fukushu appeared behind him. When the monk turned, he swung his fist backward toward her, but was met with a blocking forearm.

Fuku's right hand straightened and swung right against his sternum harshly. The impact caused fracturing along the strong build of the bone that began to slowly extend to the base of his ribcage. While Hornbuckle staggered back, Fukushu unleashed a flurry of direct punches toward the center of his chest. Her elbows remained tucked in behind her fist to make each blow that much more devastating. She worked hard on his sternum, doing more internal damage to him. However, once the rapid-fire blows ended, she stepped back and shot her foot directly into the center of his face. The impact broke his nose immediately and applied enough force to send the monk flying out of bounds and onto the waiting grass. He was writhing in pain, but he would survive.

It was a shock to the crowd…, but even so, they cheered the mysterious woman on!

"Fukushu wins!" Sub-Zero stood, applauding along with the others. "Flawless victory!"

The bandaged woman turned toward Sub-Zero and took a light bow. Once she stood, she left the ring. Along her way, her shoulders brushed against Xue Fang's quite hard. The women made eye contact briefly, but it was forgotten when Fukushu proceeded to her own private area to sit.

"Our next match will begin! Xue Fang!" Sub-Zero announced once the crowd silenced itself. "Her opponent will be the goliath known only as Tremor!"

The ring shook as the ground just outside of the ring broke apart. Two large hands emerged to pull up the mountain of muscle which was Tremor. Dirt and sand fell off of his massive body as he emerged. He was dressed similar to the typical ninja, though he wore the colors of an Earthy, dark orange and deep blue. What clan he belonged to was unknown, but his impressive stature of seven feet did not seem ideal for a ninja. He climbed right onto the stage, making the ground shake beneath his great weight. He roared out with his arms in the air.

"The bigger they are…" Xue Fang said to herself as she climbed into the ring slowly. "The more impressive I look taking them apart." Her confidence had not fractured an inch with such a massive foe to take on.

"Fight!" Sub-Zero gave the call, and the match was to begin.

Xue Fang started the fight off by charging Tremor head on. Her ice laced fists struck him at his core hard. Each of her calculated strikes were meant to stagger the towering man, but they did little more than make dull thuds against his stone-like muscles. Realizing she was gaining no ground, she looked up at the dark eyes of her opponent.

"You've already lost!" His resounding roar was complete with a sudden uppercut beneath Xue's chin. The girl went flying across the ring and landed harshly on her shoulders with her legs up over her head. Tremor extended his hand, commanding grains of sand to rise up beneath the girl. Hardened tendrils grasped around her waist, and began to mercilessly bash her around the ground. Each of her pained screams made the crowd cringe with 'ooh's collectively being said. Finally, she was thrown toward Tremor, who in turn smashed her to the ground with his massive arm swinging against her torso.

Off to the side, through all of the astonished reactions of the crowd, and pained screams of Xue, the dark-skinned woman Jataaka approached one of the shinobi awaiting a chance to battle. The man was simply watching Sub-Zero rather than the battle at hand that everyone else was reacting to. "You are fixated on your mission. Good." She spoke as she stood next to him. "Remember what it is you must do, or we all suffer."

"I remember," Krad spoke, still not letting his eyes leave Sub-Zero. "Sub-Zero will be taken as Shao Kahn and Sektor demand. Is the fail-safe in place?"

Jataaka glanced toward the crowd seemingly in no particular direction. "He is here. Be sure he does not have to be utilized. Once Sindel is awakened and Sub-Zero is in our custody, our bond to Kahn, the sorcerers, and Sektor will be broken. Do not fail."

"With these many back-up plans, we won't." Krad finally glanced her way, but then returned his vision to Sub-Zero.

Back in the ring, Xue Fang was still taking quite the beating. She hit the ground hard, lucky enough to not be bleeding too badly. She was near the corner of the ring on her hands and knees. Across from her, the large man was running right for her like some sort of wild bull. With her hands planted on the ground, she spread frosty energy out over the ground to slicken it. Immediately, Tremor lost his balance and slipped and fell hard onto his back. With this being her chance to strike, Xue began to cover her fists in layers of ice. She allowed Tremor to sit up, but immediately she swung for his jaw. The repeated hard strikes sent his head jolting from one side to the other. She began to double up on her strikes until the ice over each fist shattered against his face. When he fell back, Xue sprung into the air and came down with both knees onto his stomach.

When she jumped off of him she took the time to catch her breath. "Get up!"

Tremor shook off the pain and started to roll over onto his side. "You think that's going to take me out, little girl?" Tremor punched the ring floor and the entire surface shook under his might. Once he stood, he cracked his knuckles. "You have no chance!"

"Your mother has no chance!" Xue snapped back .

"What?" Tremor's eyes widened. "Your mother has not a chance! Uh…"

The rather corny quip was used to her advantage. She moved in right against Tremor while he made his childish retort. Her hands against his torso were filled with Kori energy, quickly coating Tremor in ice. She tilted him backward with all of her strength and placed het foot against his torso. As he slammed to the ground, Xue stood on top of Tremor as he slid toward the edge of the ring quickly. She jumped right off of him to allow him to crash on the outside with the ice shattering off his frame. He was still intact, but out of bounds! "I usually do not resort to such, but you left me with no choice." Xue held her abdomen and raised her fist in victory.

"Xue Fang wins!" Kuai Liang was impressed. She had manipulation over the cold…interesting. While Tremor stood in anger, he still respected the tournament enough to leave Xue Fang to her victory. "We will take a brief break and precede the tournament! The next bout will involve the Nido, slayer of demons and Sareena, the swift assassin!"

With that, the crowd cheered on for the next bout starting in a few minutes. All were excited for it, all but Sareena herself. The woman's eyes were fixated on Sub-Zero…but she seemed…confused. Something was off about him. He seemed…so familiar to her but at the same time he was not. These memories were suddenly coming to her in this realm. She wasn't sure if it was trickery or otherwise, but for the first time ages, she could think clearly. She reached at the side of her head. She felt a cold sweat roll down her head. She saw Sub-Zero's face in her thoughts. She felt the burning of energy burst through her spine. She saw Shinnok's face, Quan Chi's face, as well as her friends Jakaata and Kia. "…Bi-Han…?" Her heart swelled with emotion. She gasped, though it went unheard over the roar of the crowd. Something woke up inside of her…she just wasn't sure…just what this feeling was….

(A/N)

Sorry for the wait! I sat down and did this all as quickly as I could. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long. A lot was put into this chapter to help get the new plot rolling. I did my best to fit in some quality time for Sub-Zero and Mileena, and more is to come! Also, I'll high five anyone who knows where Fukushu's opponent is from!

I am trying to keep all the fighting within story parameters and not just fighting for combat's sake. I am sorry that this slows down the plot, but with what I have planned, it will pay off I hope.

Comment, rate, whatever you've gotta do! Tell me what you think!