Backstage Pass to Mortal Kombat

Chapter 35 - The Kiss

[[Warning: there's going to be some language in this chapter. Enjoy!]]

[[[There's a picture of Zak on the side that I drew!]]]

The sun beamed and shone down on the land below; oblivious to what possibly could be taking place underneath its stretching rays. Like a fight, per say? A fight between muscle and talent - because I knew, when it came down to it, that’s what it’s all about.

Towns people knew what was taking place today, and they weren’t about to miss our big entrance. There was no theme song that played as Johnny and I strode through the city; there wasn’t any cat calls or booing going on as we grew nearer and nearer to the fortress - instead, it was just a million eyes on us, watching our stone faces, awaiting the moment the cue was called and my head would be ripped from my body.

“She’ll be down within seconds,” someone noted, whispering to their neighbor. Their whispers reached me, and no matter how I ignored them, their whispers continued.

“The girl doesn’t stand a chance. She had a weapon yesterday; without that she’s nothing. Once she’s disarmed she’ll be dead.”

Never mind the fact I kicked Hanzo down with my own two feet, never mind the fact I used fire on him - no, they only pointed out my flaws, flaws I may have fixed in the past three days. No one wanted to see my skills, they only wanted to see my fall. Their king was powerful, and they had faith in that. This should have scared me out of my mind, I knew, but with every step I took; more adrenaline pumped through my veins. My hands shook with anticipation, my heart thudded heavy in my chest, my legs sprung forward with such a wide stride that Johnny had to skip up a step to catch up with me.

With each time he had to do this he saw how much stronger, mentally, I grew. A smirk twitched at the edge of his mouth and I heard him whisper, “That’s my girl.” Pride swelled in my chest and I narrowed my blue, livid eyes on the large stone walls. They were just as tall and menacing as I remembered, but I felt like I could jump over them.

Without question, the giant doors gave a shudder before they slowly moved out of our way. We waited, watching them, before they thudded against the walls, fully open, and we fell back into our stride. Silently, I wondered where the fight would take place and where I would find my opponent. I didn’t have to wonder long, as I saw his two most trusted fighters. It sickened me to see Keanu standing next to Hanzo. They were two of a kind to me now.

The two men stood - fully dressed in their uniforms - glaring at me from the front steps that led to the giant oak doors. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouths as I saw a large burn mark on Hanzo’s left eye; I could only imagine what else was burned, since his eyes were the only visible part of him. As I approached, his glare increased, and I was surprised I hadn’t been set on fire yet.

“Here are your things.” He barked at me, tossing a familiar leather bag to my feet. As I reached down and picked it up, I realized my body suit, my face mask, and everything else I had once owned were inside. “The King wants you to wear them when you fight him.”

My eyes returned to him and I nodded, “I can do that.”

“I like your hair.”

I followed the choked voice with my eyes and saw Keanu barely glancing at me out of the corner of his eye; trying his best not to look at me. I bowed my head slightly and muttered a quick thanks before looking back to Hanzo.

“Where can I change? Where will the fight be?”

Hanzo jerked his head towards the door, “You were here once; you know where the bathrooms are. And as for the fight, it will be in the stadium...it’s not far from the stage where you should have been ripped to pieces.”