I don't know where you're going,
But do you got room for one more troubled soul?
I don't know where I'm going,
But I don't think I'm coming home
And I said I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead.
This is the road to ruin, and we're starting at the end.
- Fall Out Boy, "Alone Together"
_________________________________________
Five Years Later...
Kuai crouched low in the grass, making sure to ensure that he was hidden.
He slowly moved through the woods, looking down to the ground to identify the places to put his feet to avoid making any noise. He stared at person who was standing on Shirai Ryu territory, wandering around aimlessly. Kuai had come across this person in his morning sweep of the territory, and he ensured that he remained out of sight.
Kuai burst out of the bushes, sweeping up the person - a small boy - in his arms. The child squealed in joy, laughing loudly as he was spun around in the air.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Kuai asked the child, setting him down on the ground. "I know that you dislike the art class, but the teachers are teaching you how to read and write, which is important."
"But Uncle Kuai!" Satoshi complained. "The teacher is mean! He got mad when I accidentally spilled milk on Sara."
"Are you already causing trouble?" Kuai teased, holding onto Satoshi's hand as he led his nephew back to the village. "It's your first day, Satoshi. Have you made any friends, yet?"
Satoshi shrugged. "Not really." He kicked at a tree root with disinterest. "I don't really want to talk to anyone."
"I understand how you feel," Kuai said. "You know how I became a part of the Shirai Ryu, right?"
The five-year-old boy nodded rapidly. It was one of his favorite stories that Kuai would tell him. "You fought in a tournament and won!" He exclaimed. "Now, you're one of the most respected warriors in the Shirai Ryu!"
"Right," Kuai said patiently. "But it wasn't always like that. I was once an outsider and an outcast. Nobody wanted anything to do with me. I felt isolated and alone. However, through talking and interacting with the people, they slowly began to accept me. Now, I'm the youngest Third-in-Command to have ever taken the position."
They finally reached the village, stepping into the clearing where the clanspeople were conducting their daily routines.
Harumi rushed to Kuai immediately, hugging Satoshi tightly. "Oh, thank goodness you found him, Kuai," she said thankfully, looking up at him. "Where did you find him?"
"He was in the woods," Kuai replied to the anxious mother.
Hanzo walked over to his family, nodding thankfully toward Kuai. "Thank you for finding him and bringing him back," he said. Kuai nodded in turn, looking down at Satoshi's dark hair. "It was nothing," Kuai reassured them. "I actually enjoyed the walk in the woods. You don't have to chastise him; I think I got through to him."
Harumi chuckled. "Your form of 'scolding' is to gently reprimand them," she said in a playful tone. "I'll make sure that he doesn't pull anything like this again." She led Satoshi away and toward the school, reprimanding the child for running away and leaving Kuai with Hanzo.
It's your birthday today," Hanzo noted, looking down slightly at Kuai. The cryomancer had grown a lot in the past years, he was now standing at Hanzo's shoulder. "It's also an important one, isn't it? Your eighteenth, if I'm not mistaken."
Kuai nodded in response as they started to walk through the village. "Hideo and Aiya kicked me out of the house to prepare for the celebration," he said amusedly. "It's a shame, really. I wanted to spend the day tending to the garden."
The plumeria tree that Kuai had planted was blooming spectacular. The beautiful flowers on the trees were white with yellow centers. Kuai had chosen the tree because the flowers symbolized new beginnings, which he had found in the Shirai Ryu clan.
"You tend to the garden every day," Hanzo said, a small smile appearing on his face. "Hideo takes every chance he gets to point that out. I'm pretty sure he loves you better than myself for that attribute."
"He loves the both of us equally," Kuai admonished, swatting at Hanzo's head. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Do you know what you want for your birthday?" Hanzo asked curiously.
"I have everything I need," Kuai replied, shaking his head. "I have a loving family with a clan that prioritizes family over success. What more could I ask for?"
Kuai was about to say that he had a brother that cared about him, but something prevented him from saying it aloud. It was unusual to see Hanzo as a brother, truthfully. He saw him more as a respected friend and knew that Hanzo saw him the same way.
"I have a mission," Hanzo admitted. "I'm required to steal a map from a temple. It's not too far from here, only about a day's ride to get there and another day to ride back. Is there anything you desire for me to pick up along the way?"
Kuai shook his head again. "I don't need nor want anything. I am a happy man."
"Then let me give you your gift," Hanzo said, reaching into the satchel slung over his shoulder, "before I leave. My gift to you, from a friend to another."
Hanzo held an ornamental silver mask in his hands, offering it to a stunned Kuai. The mask had black weaving lines forged into the metal, symmetrical on both sides. Kuai took the gift with both hands, admiring the craftsmanship.
"It's beautiful," Kuai acknowledged. "Thank you so much, Hanzo."
The older man shrugged; his face flushed slightly from the thanks. "I remember you telling me about how it can be difficult for you to breathe in humid climates. With this mask, hopefully, you'll be able to breathe easier through the ventilation."
Kuai beamed happily at Hanzo, pocketing the mask for use later. "Be careful on your mission," he cautioned. "Sudden requests from employers like these make me anxious."
"The clan must take jobs to support its economy," Hanzo replied, nodding at Kuai's words. "Nevertheless, I will heed your words. Watch over Satoshi for me while I am gone, would you?"
"Of course," Kuai responded, bowing before Hanzo. "He will be safe under my supervision."
Hanzo bowed back, walking away with a final farewell. Kuai watched him leave on horseback, continuing to look at the warrior until he was out of sight.
Little did he know, that would be the last time he would see Hanzo Hasashi for many years.
_________________________________________
As the moon hung brightly in the sky, the sounds of celebration in Hideo's house rose pierced through the silence of the night.
Kuai laughed as Satoshi stuffed his face full of the birthday cake, his cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk's. Aiya watched from the sides with a smile as Hideo cleaned up Satoshi's cheeks with a napkin.
They were sitting in the courtyard of the garden, celebrating Kuai's eighteenth birthday. Harumi looked up to admire the beautiful white-and-yellow flowers on Kuai's plumeria tree, talking with Kuai about the symbolism of the flowers.
Suddenly, Satoshi announced that he was full and needed to use the bathroom. Harumi stood up to bring her son to the restroom, but Kuai stood up and intervened. "It's alright," he reassured her. "I can take him. Just stay here and have some fun."
She smiled thankfully at Kuai, nodding in response. "Alright, Satoshi, you listen to your Uncle, alright?"
Satoshi nodded dutifully, the yellow icing from the cake staining his cheeks. "Yes, mom!"
Kuai held onto Satoshi's hand as he led the child through the house, opening the door to the bathroom as he let the child enter. "Wash your face and hands when you are done," Kuai said before Satoshi nodded, closing and locking the door.
The cryomancer sighed happily, thinking back to the events of his life that got him to this moment. He thought back to the Lin Kuei and the horrors he had experienced. He allowed himself a moment of grief for Tomas, the brother he had to leave behind. Tomas was the only true brother in Kuai's life. Bi-Han had ceased to be a brother to Kuai when he distanced himself from their relationship. Hanzo... Hanzo was more like the friend that Kuai could confide in. He was a reliable friend that always encouraged Kuai to try his best. There wasn't enough sibling fighting and interaction between them for Kuai to consider him a brother.
A distant scream jolted Kuai out of his thoughts, and he stood upright to attention. He moved carefully to the window, peering outside to see who had let out the cry. The darkness of the village obscured his vision, however, leaving Kuai without any knowledge of what had happened.
Frowning, Kuai returned to his post outside of the bathroom, waiting for Satoshi to finish. He could hear the water running from the sink when he heard rapid footsteps approach from the hall.
Kuai looked up, frowning when he saw the anxious and frightened look on Harumi's face. "What's wrong?" He asked her.
Harumi clutched Kuai's arms in a state of fear, her eyes wide. "I left the garden to put the dishes in the sink," she whispered. "When I returned, I peeked through the door. There are Lin Kuei soldiers here. They killed Hideo and Aiya, Kuai!"
Kuai felt his heart stop as the words sunk in.
"I ran here," Harumi continued. "Please, Kuai, you have to take Satoshi and run. Run, right now! Please, don't let them kill my son!"
"But the other villagers-" Kuai protested.
"If they got here," Harumi reasoned despite her panicked state, "then they likely killed the clanspeople in their sleep. There's no one left to save. Please, Kuai, you have to take Satoshi now and run."
"But what about you?" Kuai asked desperately. "Hanzo will be arriving home tomorrow. What about him?"
Harumi started to sob. "I heard them. The Lin Kuei, after killing Hideo, they said that it was easier now that his son was dead."
Kuai felt nauseous. "By the Elder Gods..."
"Please," Harumi urged him. "No one will be able to flee if someone does not stay to hold them back. If I took Satoshi and ran, we wouldn't get far. I don't know how to fight. But you do, Kuai. You can take Satoshi and run. I'll hold them off." Her head was tilted up with determination.
At that moment, Satoshi emerged from the bathroom. He took in his mother's tears and Kuai's shocked face. "Mom...?"
Harumi crouched to the floor, pulling Satoshi into a tight hug. "Satoshi, sweetheart, bad people are here to kill all of us. You listen to your Uncle, understood? You always listen to what he says, okay?"
"But what about you, mom?" Satoshi was starting to cry. "Aren't you coming with us? What about dad?"
"Your father is dead," Harumi said through choked sobs. "And I need to stay here to hold them back. Uncle Kuai will take good care of you, okay?" She gave one final squeeze before letting go of her son, turning to Kuai tearfully.
She hugged Kuai as well. The cryomancer couldn't believe it. His old clan was here, killing his family. "It's not your fault," Harumi whispered, patting Kuai's head. "Don't blame yourself for this mess. I love both of you. Please, just promise me that you'll take care of Satoshi."
Kuai nodded, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "I promise," he said in a shaky voice.
With that, she tore herself away from Kuai and rushed back to the garden. Satoshi started to cry harder as she disappeared. "Mom!" He cried out.
Quickly, Kuai knelt to a place a hand over Satoshi's mouth. "Shh," Kuai said, tears starting to well up in his eyes as well. "I promised your mother that I'd protect you, so I will. You have to be quiet so that they don't hear us. Remember Hide-and-Seek? That's what we're going to do, okay?"
With wide, scared eyes, Satoshi nodded. Kuai removed his hands, placing it in Satoshi's as he ran down the hallway to the back of the house on the upper floor of the house. Kuai lifted up the window, seeing the trees of the forest that stood behind Hideo's house. He looked down at Satoshi.
"I'm going to put you on the branch," Kuai said quietly. "You remember climbing on trees, right? This is no different. I want you to climb to the middle of the tree the trunk, there - and hug onto it. I'll be right behind you, okay?"
"Okay," Satoshi whispered, lifting up his arms so that Kuai could lift the child firmly. The cryomancer held Satoshi up through the window, setting him onto the thickened branch. Satoshi started to crawl on the branch quickly, the limb shaking slightly under his weight.
Once he was across and had wrapped his arms around the trunk, Satoshi turned his head back to look at Kuai, who had his foot stuck out the window onto the tree branch. Taking a deep breath to stop himself from shaking, Kuai closed the window behind him before he nimbly walked across the branch to reach Satoshi, standing over him as he looked down to the ground.
The height that they were at right now wasn't too far from the ground. Kuai sat down on the branch, turning to Satoshi. "Wrap your arms around my neck - kind of like you do in those piggyback rides. I'll climb down for both of us, alright?"
Satoshi silently did as Kuai ordered. Once the child was secure on his back, Kuai started to descend the tree, placing his hands and feet on the sturdiest branches as he descended the tree like it was a ladder.
He jumped to the soft, dirt floor of the forest, scanning his surroundings wildly. Luckily, it didn't seem as though the Lin Kuei knew that the back of the house was accessible. Still carrying Satoshi on his back, Kuai ran into the forest without looking back.
As he ran through the woods with the boy on his back, Kuai could see a blazing fire between the trees. With a sinking feeling, Kuai remembered that Elaine's hut was there, which was the likely source of the fire. He wanted to go and help her but didn't want to risk Satoshi's and his lives in the process. Remembering the promise he made to Harumi, Kuai forced himself to run.
He remembered the time he had run away from the Lin Kuei. This felt a lot like that, only he was leaving behind a place of love and happiness - he had lost more this time. Satoshi continued to cry quietly on Kuai's back, only making the cryomancer cry even more as well in a silent manner.
Finally, Kuai found a steep overhang in the land where the grassy ground sloped over a lower level of the land, creating a small cover for the two to hide. Kuai dropped down over the edge of the overhang, letting Satoshi down as he pressed his back against the dirt wall that created overhang.
Kuai looked above him to see that the grassy overhang completely covered them both if they sat with their legs crossed. The cryomancer turned to Satoshi, whispering in a quiet voice. "In a little bit, I'm going back. I'm going to see if anyone else is alive. If I don't come back when the sun rises, you run far away, okay?"
Satoshi whimpered fearfully. "Don't go!" He whispered. "I don't want you to leave."
"I have to, Satoshi," Kuai urged, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "We don't have any weapons to defend ourselves with. I need to go back - I'll come back as soon as I can, alright?"
When he got a tearful nod in response, Kuai turned to peek outsider for a second before he took off, running silently through the trees in his yellow-and-black uniform. He crouched low in the treeline of the forest, hiding in bushes while he looked out to the main clearing of the village.
There, Lin Kuei cyborgs were standing in front of a pale-face man- even paler than Kuai. It appeared as though this man was wearing white face paint. He was talking to the cyborgs as Kuai listened in.
"The Shirai Ryu have been exterminated, just as Sektor wanted," the bald white- face man spoke. His dark, spiked armor with skulls made his figure all the more threatening to Kuai. "I expect his word tomorrow, and no later. He must fulfill his side of the arrangement."
The cyborgs bowed toward the unknown figure. "We will inform him," one of them said before they took off to the sky, flying in the air.
The bald man and Kuai watched as they left. With a wave of the man's hand, all of the houses in the village were lit ablaze. Kuai jerked back at the horrific sight, only barely catching the sight of the white-faced man stepping through a self-conjured portal that disappeared.
With the departure of all enemies, Kuai took off through the village toward the armory. He had to salvage what he could before the place burned down. Breaking down the burning door, Kuai coughed. He quickly put on the silver mask that had been given to him by Hanzo, finally able to breathe in the smog with the ventilation. Lifting his hands, he summoned his ice to combat the flames. Immediately, the fire died down under the cold temperature, saving the armory.
Kuai quickly grabbed a bag, packing swords and knives of all kinds into the bag that was shaped like a duffel bag. He ran out of the armory quickly, running to Hideo's house. Had Harumi survived?
The cryomancer made his way through the house, extinguishing the flames that clung to the walls. He made his way to the garden, eyes wide with shock as he saw Hideo and Aiya, laying dead on the floor.
Their blood stained the stone floor, painting the grey with splatters of red. There were gashes in their necks that permitted the spread of the blood, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Their hands were nearly touching the other's - as if while they were bleeding out, they had tried to reach each other.
Kuai knelt to the ground as the fire raged, his hands reaching out for the bodies of his adoptive parents. He rested his forehead against Hideo's chest, letting all the tears fall out of his eyes as he sobbed heavily, the memories of his life with them flashing through his mind.
In the background, the garden burned. Kuai's plumeria tree was scorched, the white-and-yellow flowers withering under the heat as they blackened, falling to the ground as ash. Kuai lifted his head, taking in all the carnage around him.
Forcing himself back onto his feet, Kuai stumbled through the house, calling out for Harumi as he continued to put out the fires. He kicked down the door to the main bedroom, covering his mouth in shock.
Harumi was lying on the bed, her eyes closed peacefully as if she was sleeping. However, there was a long sword impaled in her chest, protruding through to the bottom of the bed. A trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth.
Kuai cried out in grief and agony, covering his mouth with his hands. Forcing himself to return to Satoshi, who was still waiting for him in the forest, Kuai stumbled out of the house, running back to his nephew.
He found Satoshi huddled under the overhang and pulled the boy into a hug. They sobbed as they clutched each other firmly, finding solace in each other's embrace. After crying their hearts out, Kuai wiped his eyes and used his sleeve to wipe away Satoshi's tears, looking at the child.
"We're going to leave," Kuai said. "It's not safe for us there, anymore. We have to go."
"Where will we go?" Satoshi sniffed. "The Shirai Ryu was our home; we have nowhere to go!"
Kuai turned his head to the horizon, taking in the blood-red sun as it rose into the sky. "We'll find a way," he promised Satoshi. "One step after another. Now, we run."
The two boys ran towards the sun, leaving their home that had been burned to ash.
_________________________________________
Only hours later, in the ruins of the Shirai Ryu clan, two people were standing amongst the dead bodies of the slain clanspeople.
One of them, a masked man with swords strapped to his back, stood shocked and unsteady steps through the desecrated village, looking around. His blood began to boil as anger spread like wildfire through his veins.
This man came to a stop in front of a large house, which had somehow managed to remain intact in the fires that had plagued the Shirai Ryu before. The masked man walked into the charred house, looking down at the bodies of Hideo and Aiya. His hands clenched in anger as he tore his gaze away, moving towards the back of the house and up the stairs.
The man stopped at the open bedroom door where Harumi had been slain - her porcelain face was pale with death, the blood on her face a stark contrast to the white color of her face. The man rushed to her side, kneeling on the floor as he took her hand in his, clenching onto it tightly.
He began to cry.
Now, entering the bedroom behind the first man was his companion. A white-faced sorcerer who had introduced himself as Quan Chi, a necromancer. He had found this other man's spirit in a state of unrest in the Netherrealm and brought him back to life as an undead specter. He had brought the human-turned-specter to the human world to show him what had happened to the Shirai Ryu.
"You see, then?" Quan Chi asked in a rumbling voice. "You are the destruction brought about by the Lin Kuei? They deserve to be brought down for their sins, don't they?"
The specter sobbed harder, clutching Harumi's dead hand.
"What will you do, then?" Quan Chi pressed. "What will you do, Hasashi?"
The specter looked up. His milky-white, dead eyes pierced through Quan Chi as he stood up. Flames danced down his forearms, not causing any pain to the undead specter as he howled.
"The Lin Kuei will pay!" He roared. "This is the vow I make as the last Shirai Ryu. No Lin Kuei warrior will hide from my quest of vengeance for my family. So is the word of Scorpion!"
4
Chapter 5 coming soon...
And so it begins, hope you enjoy reading. :)