Mortal Kombat: The Phoenix Verison

Chapter 26: Broken

The audacity!

Ember fumed, pacing her room. She couldn't believe he had actually told the Lin Kuei to keep her out of the cellar-to treat her as a child!

No amount of begging, threatening, or flirting was going to get them to budge. She whimpered, had it been Ivan that was guarding the cellar she might've gotten to smuggle a bottle.

She pulled at her hair and internally screamed.

This isn't fair! I'm a grown ass woman and if I wanna get shit-faced I am allowed to get shit-faced.

Her fist shot blindly at the wall. Considering it wasn't made of light material, she doubled over and clutched her hand in pain. "Fuck..." she mouthed.

Ember resumed to pacing, she couldn't stay still. Her skin crawled and her heart pounded as her mind raced.

"That's it!" Her teeth ground together while she made her way to her dresser. Recklessly she threw off her pajamas and changed into tight pants and a t-shirt, making sure her armor and doll were in her duffle bag before flinging it over her shoulder.

Ember wasn't going to stay at the temple for one more sleepless night. She'd trek to the nearest village and find a way to her clan from there.

I'm done being your prisoner, Kuai.

She huffed and closed the door behind her. She would've gone out the window, but unfortunately her brother had the foresight to freeze it shut from the outside. Rolling her eyes, she ventured out into the hallway toward the entrance.

Ember was careful not to let her boots make too much sound, and she was cautious to avoid possible Lin Kuei patrols.

On her way, she passed by Kuai Liang's bedroom. Immediately she scowled at the door and held up a big ol middle finger along with mouthing some choice words that would've put a sailor to shame.

Her hand dropped to her side when the sounds of a struggle could be heard from his room.

Oh god...is he really fucking someone when he gave ME a lecture on it?!

Or so she thought, but the more she listened, the less convinced she became that the sounds were from a pleasurable activity.

The color drained from her face.

She hoped he was okay, that he was just getting it on with some random chick. The thought disturbed her, but she'd rather be disturbed by that than him get hurt...even though she was still unhappy with him.

Unfortunately there was no denying it: it sounded like he was struggling and not the good kind.

Ember quietly put her duffle bag down and opened the door, peeking in.

Moonlight flooded in from his room, allowing her to see that he was the only one there. Unless they were cloaked with invisibility, she couldn't see anyone else. But he was thrashing around in his bed.

She didn't like seeing him this way. For some reason it never occurred to her that he might have the same night terrors that Jax and she had. Most likely it was because he played it off that he was fine so well.

Ember opened the door fully and went to him.

"Kuai" she leaned over the large bed, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders. He was resisting some invisible force and she had to use all her strength and then some in order to keep his hands from punching the air.

"Kuai-"

She yelped as he woke up, instincts kicking in and grabbing her wrist. He pulled her off balance and she fell halfway onto the bed, in her sudden disorientation he had formed a sharp dagger of ice and held it at her throat.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and they immediately softened. He let the dagger fall to the floor, "-Ember...I'm sorry I didn't mean to alarm you."

She relaxed somewhat, breathing out a sigh of relief. He looked at her, and then noticed that she wasn't in her pajamas.

He tightened his grip on her wrist, his eyes flashed angrily. "You were planning to sneak out...again?!"

Ember tried to free herself from his grip, but he only held onto her wrist tighter. Kuai Liang sat up, immediately towering over his sister. As soon as he stared her down, she froze.

Kuai Liang watched her eyes widen, that made him uneasy. He sighed, frustrated, and released her wrist. Immediately she jumped to her feet, taking a step away from the bed, and cradled her wrist close to her chest.

He brushed a hand through his hair, torn. Meanwhile she just watched him, part of her ashamed to be scared that he would lash out at her.

The glimmer of something metallic caught her eye in the moonlight. Hanging above his bed were two name tags held by their chains, she was too far away to read the names engraved on them but she didn't need to. She knew what they were.

Her heart swelled as she went to the wall, holding hers in her palm. It was cool to the touch and the familiarity warmed her. Ember pressed the tag against her palm, tight enough to leave an indent in her skin.

"...you kept it"

Kuai Liang looked at her over his shoulder but said nothing. Her eyes wandered further along the wall, stopping at the picture of her mom and her. She always wondered where that went, figuring that that dumb spy of Sonya's had lost it, she was glad to see it safe.

Silence filled the atmosphere and Ember let go of the tag, finished with her reminiscing. Her brother had yet to say a word and a tinge of shame jabbed at her.

She had yelled at him, called him names-both to and behind his back-childish.

"When I was killed," he began "I searched the Netherrealm for you. However, I realized eventually that you were not there. Quan Chi would've have showed you off, knowing him..." he shifted, turning away from her to face forward. "I had to come to the conclusion that you were truly gone"

Ember stared at his back, "Like normal people dead?"

He nodded. "That realization pained me...but I came to learn that it was better that way. I thought you were spared the enslavement of being a revenant." Kuai Liang sighed heavily "If I had any reason to believe that you were still out there-I would've continued to look for you."

"I struggled with what I did for Quan Chi...all the people he had me kill-the lives I destroyed by his will." Ember watched him tense as painful memories flooded his mind.

He held it in well, he always did.

She moved to his side. "I also struggled with what I had done to you...when I put you on ice," a pained expression spread on his face, although he tried to hide it in the dark. "It was not my intention to put you through such agony and loneliness"

He watched as she took a seat on the bed in front of him. She wordlessly held his gaze, wanting to say something comforting but unable to.

Ember leaned forward and hugged him. He was hesitant at first, from surprise, but returned the embrace.

The duffle bag sat outside in the hallway, it would later return with her back to her room.