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Outworld, Next Morning...
Kurai awoke the next morning, surprisingly, by himself. Wondering where Jade is, he throws off the blankets and hops out of bed. Before he leaves the room he decides to take a quick, warm bath to relax his muscles before he goes looking for Jade.
After taking the bath, Kurai feels much better than the day before. While he's still not one hundred percent, he's certainly walking a little better than before. He rinses off, throws on some clothes and begins his search for Jade.
After strolling through the palace and asking some of the guards, even Mileena, if they've seen Jade anywhere, all the answers so far have been negative. Deciding to check the one place that he has yet to check, he makes his way up a staircase and enters an open room.
There he finds Jade standing near the edge of the balcony and leaning against the stone railing, seeming to be deep in thought. He walks up behind her calmly and stands beside her on the balcony.
Broken out of her thoughts, Jade gasps when she senses a presence beside her only to sigh with relief when she sees it's Kurai. He looks over at her and lightly laughs. "I didn't mean to scare you, Jade. Sorry." He apologizes to which she laughs in return and waves it off.
"No, no. It's alright, Kurai. I was just... deep in my thoughts. Perhaps too deep. I didn't even go to bed last night." She admits as he looks over at her incredulously.
"You have been to bed all night?" He asks her with bewilderment as she shrugs with a chuckle before looking over at him.
"Sorry, my love. I have a lot on my mind at the moment." She says to him sadly before she turns her head to watch the sun rise in Outworld.
Not wanting to press the issue, but remains concerned, Kurai nods with understanding before he turns to watch the sunrise with her. Both of them fall into silence before Jade unconsciously wraps her arms around one of Kurai's as they both just stand there. She sighs contentedly while intertwining her hand with his.
"Hmm... This is nice. Isn't it? I just wish we were doing this in Edenia." She admits softly, which causes Kurai to chuckle.
Not wanting to offend, Jade looks up at him to explain that she didn't mean to insult anyone in Outworld, but a shake of Kurai's head gives her relief. "Jade, I know what you meant, ok? It's alright. Really. And I agree. I wish we were doing this in Edenia too. Just don't let Mileena hear you say that." He says to her honestly with a wink causing her to smile before she hugs his arms tightly.
But she soon loses her smile and remembers that she still has yet to tell him about Kotal. Unlike her, Kurai never found the right time to tell her about Tanya, but here, right now, is a perfect time as any. She lowers her head and sighs, mentally preparing herself. "Kurai, darling, there's... something I have to tell you. And if I wait too long, I'm afraid you'll find out on your own like I did with Tanya." She tells him fearfully as he looks over at her tenderly.
"What is it, Jade?" He asks her softly as she sighs before looking up at him.
"There's... There's something that you need to know... about my time here in Outworld long before the tournament on Shang Tsung's island. There was-" She begins to explain before stopping as they both hear voices and footsteps coming up the staircase that lead to where they were.
Two individuals step through the entranceway, Drake and Skarlet, and it seems like the two are bickering over something. "Hey! Excuse me!" Kurai calls out to them, stopping the two from bickering as they both look over at Kurai and Jade.
Kurai waits patiently for them to say something. "Drake? Skarlet? Can we help you?" He says to them with slight annoyance as he and Jade both wait.
Drake looks back at Skarlet with a doubtful expression before the two begin to bicker again, but more quietly. Kurai and Jade both look at each other with frustration on their faces before Skarlet pushes Drake towards them softly. Drake hesitantly walks up to them until he stops just in front of them and looks up at them.
"Uh, Kurai, Jade, I'm really, REALLY sorry to interrupt, but... Jade, is it ok with you if I steal Kurai away just a moment? There's something I need to talk to him about. It's... It's really important to me that I tell him." He says to Jade nervously as she looks at him warmly. From the look in Drake's eyes, whatever it was that was bothering him, he really wanted to get it off his chest.
Thinking that her silence was a bad sign, Drake waves it off and begins to back away. "Um, you know what? It can wait. I'll just let you two go back to what you were doing and I'll talk to Kurai later. I mean, I have some time, right? We still have time before Raiden comes back." He says nervously as he backs up and turns to walk away, but Jade stops him.
"No, Drake. It's ok. Like you said, we have time before Raiden gets back and talking to the Elder Gods does take some time. So, yes, you can speak with Kurai. By all means." She says to him tenderly as Kurai and Drake look at her with concern, but for different reasons.
Kurai takes her hand gently and whispers to her. "Jade, are you sure? You can tell me here, right now while Drake waits." He tells her softly causing her to smile before kissing him deeply.
Drake and Skarlet turns their heads away to let the two have their moment before Jade pulls away. "That's very sweet of you, my love. Truly. But... I'll tell you on a later date. We still have some time and truth be told, I need to work up the nerve to tell you what's on my mind. But I will tell you, I promise." She says before kissing him one more time before walking away with Skarlet close behind her.
"Damn it, Jade! You have to tell him soon or he'll find out on his own in some way! Whether by yours or another, he has to know about Kotal!" Jade inwardly criticizes herself for not taking the small chance to tell Kurai about her previous relationship with Kotal. But she puts it to the side for now and decides to get some sleep while Kurai and Drake talk.
Kurai wasn't exactly happy with Drake at the moment, but if he wanted to talk about what Delilah said to him, he'll hear him out. He leads him over to one of the stone benches on the balcony and sits down with Drake beside him. "Ok, Drake. What did you want to talk about? Is it about what Delilah said to you?" He asks him softly, which causes Drake to tense before he relaxes but keeps his head down.
He nods and sighs deeply. "Um... yeah, yeah. But it's... It's a little more complicated than just that. It's not so much what she said to me, but rather... what she knows about me." He explains as Kurai looks at him closely and curiously.
"What do you mean, buddy?" He asks him with confusion as Drake looks up at him with a fearful expression.
"Kurai, I... I killed..." He struggles to say, but Kurai already knew what Drake wanted to talk to him about.
He nods with understanding and watches as the sun continues to rise. "I know, Drake. You killed your mother." He says bluntly, which causes Drake to stumble and stutter with his words as his eyes widen.
"You... You know... You KNEW?! How did... How did you...?" He stutters and fumbles with his words as Kurai shakes his head before looking back at him.
"Drake, trust me, you didn't need to tell me. I just knew the look. When you came back from where you went with her, I could tell you had done something you didn't mean to do." He explains as Drake looks at him incredulously.
Drake shakes his head and waves his arms. "Wait, wait, wait! You have to go into more detail than that! What do you mean that you... that you know... the look...?" He asks curiously while beginning to understand what his Edenian friend meant.
Kurai remains silent as Drake quickly put the pieces together. "You told us that after Sadira's death, it was like you were in autopilot mode. Your mind had just... shut down and your body's instincts took over. You went around in a frenzy going to one fight after another hurting innocents and killing those that were deserving. Is that what you mean?" He asks Kurai curiously, though he already knew the answer as Kurai nods sadly.
"Yep. That pretty much sums it up." He says with a mellow tone as he continues to watch the sun rise. The two become silent as Drake sits and thinks about the questions he has, but the most important one came to mind, though he was afraid to ask.
Knowing that Drake wanted to say something, Kurai spoke. "Drake, if you've got something on your mind, say it or ask me." He says softly as Drake sighs with a shuddering breath before working up the nerve.
"I just have one thing to ask. If you were in... autopilot mode for so long, how did your mind manage to come back?" He asks him curiously as Kurai sighs.
He looks over at Drake with a look of sadness. "I had come across someone that had an uncanny resemblance to Sadira. It was thanks to her that my mind reawakened and stopped me from blindly hurting people." He explains simply.
1,000 years ago, Years after Sadira's Death...
You met somebody that looked EXACTLY like Sadira? Why didn't you, uhhh... well, you know?
What? Get with her?
Yeah.
Drake, just because the girl looked like Sadira, doesn't mean that I should've got together with her. Besides, that's not a good enough reason to get with someone.
Well, yeah, but...
No, Drake. You don't get it. Think about it. If you had been in my position and something had happened to Skarlet, would you have gotten together with someone that looks exactly like her? Would you have gotten together with that person for selfish reasons, or would you treat her a little differently than you would Skarlet?
...
That's what I thought.
Right... So... tell me about this girl. If she's the reason your mind reawakened, what happened before and after that?
Well...
Kurai, in an angered rage, defeats another opponent in a fighting match and cruelly kicks him aside. The man whimpers as a group of men run over to the man and picks him up to carry him out of the small Coliseum while Kurai waits for his next opponent.
He picks up a large alcoholic bottle, that was sitting on a wooden bench, and chugs it down before tossing the bottle aside. The glass shatters as the crowd begins to boo him while a man speaks in ancient Greek and announces Kurai's opponent.
The crowd cheers loudly as he hears shaky footsteps walking up behind him. "When are these people going to fucking learn?" He thinks to himself in annoyance before turning around to face his opponent before freezing.
Whatever buzz he felt from the alcohol just now went away instantly and his mind quickly rebooted as the memories he had shut out came flooding back to him until they reached this point in time.
His next opponent, a dark skinned Greek woman, bears a frightening resemblance to Sadira, and he is about to fight her. The woman glares at him, but it is clear she is frightened of him. The amount of men and women he has defeated and beaten left her wondering if this was a good idea on her part.
She holds a shield and spear as she prepares to fight him, but Kurai hesitates. His fists clench and tremble at the thought of having to fight someone that looks like Sadira. She prepares herself to fight but it's clear she is shaking as the metal from both her spear and shield rattle against each other.
An image of Sadira herself suddenly flashes and briefly replaces the Greek woman as Sadira gazes upon him with a sad expression. She raises her hand as if to tell him that enough was enough and that he should just go home before she disappears and the Greek woman stands in her place.
Having had enough of the needless fighting anyway and using the Divine Dragon to win matches bare handed, Kurai sighs deeply and begins to walk around the woman, which confuses her as she watches him carefully, before he reaches the exit. He looks back at her with a look of sorrow. "You win. I don't want to fight you. You look too much like someone I once loved." He says to her in ancient Greek, which confuses her more before he opens the Coliseum doors and exits the arena.
The crowd cheers happily that Kurai finally gave up, but he didn't care, he just didn't want to fight someone that looks exactly like someone he loves. He wouldn't do it. Not ever. This is the only time that he and the young Greek woman would ever meet in their lives. He never saw her again, and neither did she.
The Greek woman, while feeling that she should be celebrating right now, stood in the middle of the arena with a feeling of relief but also sadness. The look in Kurai's eyes stirred something within her and made her want to follow him and ask for an explanation, but she stood firm and held back. The drachmae she had desperately needed from this one fight would help her with her husbands health and anything else.
But she would go on for the rest of her life often wondering what Kurai has been through and what causes a man like him to become such a ruthless fighter, if the look in his eyes was any indication. She would, however, feel relieved that maybe, just maybe, she helped him in some way that set him on a path to recovery.
If only partially.
Present Day...
"And that's it? That's all it took?" Drake asks curiously as Kurai chuckles before he nods.
Then he shrugs. "Pretty much." He says nonchalantly with a smile.
Drake sighs with a disappointed expression on his face. "So you... You two never met again afterwards? She never once approached you to demand an explanation on why you gave up so easily? I mean, come on! Nothing?" He asks with anxious curiosity as Kurai just laughs and shakes his head.
"Nope. Nothing. Whatever her reasons were for not following after me, it was none of my business. Besides, I left Greece that same day and went straight back home to the Dark Wu Shi Temple. After that I stayed there for a few years until I decided to just travel the world and see the sights. But I never went back to India until last year. You already know about that." He explains, which causes Drake to nod. The two then look up at the sun, which was already high in the sky at this point.
"Which brings us back to your mom, Drake." Kurai breaks the silence after a moment, which causes Drake to tense up.
Kurai looks over at him. "This also explains why I have no right to judge you for what you did. Do I agree with it? No. But you were in a situation you couldn't control, so your instincts took control of over your body and reacted. You can't always help that, but you've gotten physically and mentally stronger since then, Drake." He explains.
But Drake still felt unsure and disagreed. "Yeah, but, Kurai, we're not talking about a bunch of criminals or innocent people that you would kill or beat down. We're talking about my mother here, and she-"
"SHE had abused you since the day you were born and left you at home, alone, for god knows how long before she would come back. And let's say that you did react the way you did right away, let's say she took you back with her to that unhappy home. Do you really think you would've stayed with her for long?" Kurai interrupts and asks Drake curiously causing Drake to pause.
After a moment, Kurai nods and continues. "Exactly. The abuse she put you through, the neglect, it would have all come to a head just like it did that very night. You killing her would have happened anyway because she was just that bad of a mother. No child, male or female, should ever have to go through what you went through. I'm not saying I condone what happened, I'm just saying that there are some things that you just can't control. No matter how much you want to." Kurai explains as Drake nods with understanding.
Kurai pats Drake on the shoulder as Drake looks at him with a grateful nod. "Thanks, Kurai. Thanks for hearing me out." He says thankfully to Kurai, who nods with a smile.
"Of course, Drake. I'm always happy to help." He says patting Drake on the shoulder before they both stand up from the bench.
"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to find Jade and see what she wanted to talk to me about. But if she went to get some sleep, I'll let her get some rest since she was up all night." Kurai tells Drake, who nods with understanding while smiling.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to do the same and look for Skarlet. She and I want to spend a little more time together while we wait for Raiden. See ya, Kurai." He tells his Edenian friend, who nods before they both leave the balcony and head down the staircase. Both with heavy weights lifted off their shoulders.
Meanwhile, Unknown Location...
Delilah is sitting down on a throne like chair with her legs crossed while sipping on a glass of wine. "Hmm... this could be sweeter, but it's an excellent year nonetheless." She says with a grin before continuing to sip.
She then hears a couple pair of footsteps walking towards her. She turns her head to see a cloaked, hooded figure with Kotal in tow. She smiles and sets the wine glass down before standing up from her chair and walks towards them. "Ah, it's about time you showed up. You're a little late, but you're here now, that's all that matters... Sorato." She says to the figure, who lowers his hood to reveal the Edenian Cadet, Sorato.
Sorato bows his head while Kotal waits patiently behind him. "Lady Delilah, please forgive me for my tardiness, but it was a bit... difficult to find your portal that lead directly to your home." He says to the blood sorceress politely as she just smiles and gently pats his shoulder.
"Oh, not to worry, dear. All is forgiven. Besides, you managed to recruit Kotal, I am pleased with that. You should be proud." She continues before standing beside him to look at Kotal.
"And Kotal, darling, not to worry. You will have your chance to speak with Jade alone before you know it." She says to the Osh-Tekk, who nods before glancing in the direction of a different pair of footsteps walking towards them silently.
She smirks before calling out to them. "I already know you're there, old friend. There's no need for you to sneak around here." She says with amusement as she hears a loud hiss from the darkness.
A hooded individual with reptilian like skin walks out of the shadows wearing black clothing with green accents. "Hello, Lady Delilah. As always, you are as observant as ever." The reptilian individual says to her respectfully, which causes her to smile widely.
"Oh, Basilisk, darling, stop. You're going to make me blush." She says to the humanoid reptile sweetly as Basilisk sighs deeply.
"Respectfully, my Lady. I have come to inform you that the preparations for reactivating the Cyber Lin Kuei have gone smoothly. We should have another fifty units ready by this time tomorrow night." He informs Delilah, who claps her hands excitedly.
"Ooh, excellent, most excellent! Thank you for the update, Basilisk." She says before looking over at Sorato.
"Now, Sorato dear, what of our... other friends? Have they said anything about joining up with us?" She asks him curiously, which causes him to smirk.
"Why don't you ask them yourself, my Lady?" He says knowingly as she looks at him curiously before she hears multiple footsteps coming from all directions.
She looks all around her to see individuals of all shapes and sizes walking towards her and the small group in the large room. Many of whom were men that had already been here since the beginning.
But others were brand new recruits to her cause. Malek and his Centaurs appear alongside the bastard son of Argus, Rain. Reiko, Sareena and Hornbuckle walk towards them from another direction.
Cyrax, Sektor and few other Lin Kuei cyborgs walk from another direction with a hooded female cyborg beside them. A black hooded figure walks from another direction with an ominous aura about them. She hears the light footsteps of cloaked feminine women walking in her direction to reveal her followers, the Blood Sisters. And finally she hears loud stomping footsteps from another direction.
She looks in the direction of the loud footsteps to see Kintaro walking out of the shadows with growling snarl. Delilah smiles wickedly as she begins to chuckle. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." She says sinisterly before looking over at Sorato.
"Sorato, my dear, very well done." She says praising the former Edenian Cadet, who smiles and bows his head respectfully while Delilah looks over at Basilisk.
"Basilisk, darling, it's your turn now. You know what to do. Retrieve Kurai, but be warned, even in his weakened state he will still be a formidable fighter." She informs the reptilian creature, which confuses him.
"Kurai, my Lady? Not Drake Lee or your other targets?" He asks curiously causing Delilah to giggle.
"Think about it for a moment, Basilisk. Kurai is the most important and cherished warrior in all the realms. Capture him and my other targets will not be far behind. Drake will no doubt try to save him, as will Tanya. As for my other target, well, let's just say that's it's time for Skarlet to reunite with her mother. While I have no plans specifically for Kurai, he is still important. Now then, my dear Basilisk, would you be so kind?" She explains sweetly but also disturbingly as Basilisk nods his head before disappearing in a puff of black smoke.
Delilah chuckles darkly as she turns to look at all the allies she has at her side before they all bow low to her then shout. "All hail the Dragon King!" They shout causing Delilah to grin mischievously.
"Hmm, soon, Lord Onaga. Very soon." She whispers excitedly with a disturbing laugh.