(Skugge - Einar Selvik.)
"Woah!" You jump back as the small waves come crashing at your bare feet. The wet sand feels sticky and cold, not at all what you were expecting. "Having fun?" Liu Kang asks you, walking over from the men's changing room, Kuai and Hanzo walking out as well.
"Mhm," you smile back. Seeing all three men in their swimming shorts doesn't really surprise you. It is getting warmer out with each passing hour. "That's good to hear," he ruffles your hair affectionately and goes into the ocean for a swim.
You look down at the blue-green water, wanting to dive in yourself, but Fujin instructed you not to go out beyond the shore.
The water hitting your ankles is cold, but tickles your skin, much like Fujin's wind when it brushes your cheek. "You look distracted," Kuai smiles, making you turn around. You never realized how pale Kuai is in comparison to Hanzo.
"I'm looking for shells," you answer, scanning the sand. No shells so far.
"If either of us find one underwater, we'll give it to you," Hanzo states gently.
"Of course. For now, just stay by the shore, like your father said," Kuai reminds you as they both walk into the ocean as well. "Okay," you answer back sadly, pouting a little. Getting hungry for lunch, you walk back to Fujin, hearing Liu, Kuai, and Hanzo laugh while in the water.
Fujin already has everything set up, a large towel on the sand, an umbrella for shade, the cooler with drinks and cold sandwiches close by. "Getting hungry?" He asks, knowing you too well. You nod, smiling. He opens the cooler and hands you your favorite type of sandwich and soda. As you sit next to him on the towel and eat under the shade, he looks out at the waves.
"What do you think of the ocean?" He asks you. "It's pretty," you answer, then bite into the food. Fujin snickers when he sees Liu and Kuai dump a bucket of saltwater on Hanzo, who screams.
They both laugh and run off, Hanzo cursing at them as he chases. "Get back here before I burn you both alive!" Hanzo jokes, all three men kicking up sand in their wake.
"Fujin..."
The younger demigod turns around to see Raiden, who looks upset. "Stay here, okay?" Your father gently orders you. You nod, happily eating, looking out at the waves.
Fujin gets to his feet, dusting sand off his shorts. "Are you all right, brother?" He keeps his voice low.
"Walk with me," is all he says. Fujin does, walking beside him on the shore.
They both walk some distance away from the others, listening to the waves. "Something is bothering you," Fujin notices, already looking worried. Gods, how and when did Fujin get so mature? When did Raiden miss that? "It's just that..." Raiden feels the words stick to his throat like honey. "I realized I've been a terrible brother to you, for a long time," he doesn't look at Fujin, more over his shoulder, out towards the sea.
"You weren't always so strict, Raiden," Fujin reasons, a faint smile on his lips. But his eyes show sadness. "The Elder Gods created you first and expected you to handle all the pressure. That wasn't fair. Then they created me down the line. I can never understand fully what you went through before I came into existence, but I can try."
"I remember when they created you..." Raiden begins slowly, recalling that distant memory.
"Made you out of stardust and formed you into the vague shape of an infant. You grew fast physically, but you matured more slowly. Already showed more empathy than I ever did," he sighs. "I don't know where I'm going with this, exactly, but just know that I'm sorry."
Fujin nods. When they both get back, they find you busy making a sandcastle.
Not realizing both men are close by, you continue singing to yourself.
"Eismal sat eg ute
(Alone, I sat outside.)
Ved fot av fjell
(At the foot of the mountain.)
Ved dagsvinn vitja meg
(At day's end, it visits me.)
Skugge heitir
(Shadow was the name.)
Eg stirde rakt
(I stared straight ahead.)
Skugge, rakt attende
(Shadow, straight in return)
I mitt innerste indre
(In my innermost being,)
I mitt ytterste ytre
(And my outermost exterior,)
Båe held blikket
(We both held the gaze.)
Med skriande tagnad
(With howling silence,)
Eg spurde vegen
(I asked the way,)
Men skugge tagde
(But the shadow gave no answer.)
Men skriande tagnad
(With howling silence.)
Eg spurde meiningi
(I asked for meaning.)
Men skugge tagde
(But the shadow gave no answer.)
Alt ljos rann
(As sunlight leaves.)
Skugge inn
(Shadow slips away,)
I bjarget svann
(Into the stonewall.)
Med hamrande hjarte
(As my heart was hammering,)
Gol eg mot hjell
(I croaked the rock)
Med dvergtungetale
(With dwarf-tongue speech.)
Mol Skugge or fjell
(Shadow replied.)"
Both men watch and listen.
"Did you teach (Y/n) Old Norse?" Raiden asks quietly, wanting to hear the rest of the song. "A little. I didn't expect (her/him) to learn it so fast," Fujin whispers back, amazed at you reciting such a complex song. Not realizing the two are close by, you fill your bucket with sand and keep singing.
"Elden tvingar deg or meg
(The fire force you from within,)
Sporlaus inn i notti fér
(Without a trace, slips into darkness.)
Skugge, kan du svara? (Svara)
(Shadow, give me answers?) (Answers.)
Som heile sanning eig! (Eig)
(The truth is known to you!) (You.)
Når eg fyl, kvi haster du? (Du)
(I feel your haste when I try to find?) (Find.)
Finn eg deg, eg finn meg sjølv (Sjølv)
(In searching you, I found within.) (Within.)
Svara eig du sjølv
(Answers you find within.)"
Kuai, Hanzo, and Liu walk back after you finish. You look over at them all and smile, not realizing Fujin and Raiden looking at you with surprise and pride. "What are you doing?" Hanzo asks, grabbing a towel and drying himself. "Building a sandcastle," you answer.
"Here, we found this for you," Kuai hands you a small blue and white seashell. "Treasure it. I nearly stepped on a sea urchin grabbing it," Liu jokes, ruffling your hair again. "Thanks," you smile, a little embarrassed that they went all that way to find you one.
You take the smooth shell and study it. Later on, you all end up watching the sunset over the ocean. It looks pretty. Twirling the shell in your fingers, you sit on Fujin's lap, happy that you took this trip.
"(Y/n)..." your dad begins, kissing the top of your head to grab your attention. "Hm?"
"You sang that Old Norse song beautifully. Didn't know you had it in you," he whispers.
You feel your face heat up. "Yeah. Thank you, dad."
"Of course, (Y/n)."
Your mind flashes back to the nightmares. Papa is your 'shadow' from that song. The corrupted version of him, at least.
YOU ARE READING
Guardian: Fujin and Child Reader (Mortal Kombat)
FanfictionFujin is one of the lesser known protectors of Earthrealm. His older brother Raiden is the one most seen by humanity. Many wonder why this is. Well, that's because of you. You are Fujin's child, raised by the Wind God in the Sky Temple. Things go...
