A New Start (AU)

3: Cleaved

Kuai Liang watched silently from his bed as Tomas and Cyrax prepared their own makeshift beds. They left their belongings - two shopping bags with clothes inside - to the side as they finished up their area of the room.

He cringed a bit every time Cyrax would accidentally look his way. He could see fire in his good eye, the other eye puffy and darkened to a sickly purple and black. The boy was not at all on good terms with Kuai Liang.

But he hadn't known it would come to this. Kuai was not aware this would happen.

And this wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to fight Cyrax. The two had become friends quickly when they met, even if they had kept it secret from the Grandmaster.

Things had changed... His influence had already begun to scramble events from his original past. Kuai Liang grew worried, knowing that this could signal that he may have been ruining paths in time that held significance, while also creating ones not yet made. The thing was, these newly created paths were unknown territory. He was unsure what stood ahead in time if he continued to go on.

"Kuai Liang, go wash up before you rest." Bi-Han's voice snapped him back to attention. He simply nodded, before getting out of his bed and walking out of the room, pacing towards the restroom.

As he walked, however, he could hear almost inaudible footsteps behind him. It seemed as if the person behind him were trying to sneakily reach him. It did not work the way they had wanted. Kuai Liang had learned to be alert of his surroundings. In his old life, he had even learned the footsteps of his close companions, including those of... Hanzo's.

Dark thoughts began to cloud his mind and he could hear the footsteps in his ears beginning to quiet down. He was losing focus as he began to slow his steady pace. He needed to push away those thoughts, and he very much so wanted to, but the thought of Hanzo stuck to his mind like glue.

Kuai Liang could still hear those footsteps, light, almost like air. He could still see his stern, life-hardened face, feel his radiating fire, hear his deep, yet spine-tingling voice.  He yearned for those moments.

He just wanted Hanzo back. All he wanted was-

Kuai Liang was shoved to the floor, his arms twisted behind his back by someone else's grasp. He groaned angrily as pangs of pain shocked his arms and jaw, which had been slammed against the hard cobblestone floor. He tried to wriggle out of the position, but it only resulted in his attacker applying more pressure and strength on him.

"Not so strong now, huh?" A child's voice growled angrily. Kuai's eyebrows slanted downwards once he realized who it was.

"You." He let that word spill out of his gasping lungs. "W-Why are you... doing this?"

"You humiliated me...!" The African boy hissed. "You put shame upon me, and in front of the Grandmaster too. I do not want to forgive you, even if my friend had asked me to do so."

Kuai tried to move again, but only felt pain again.

"Please, don't do this. I did not mean to humiliate you. That was not my intention at all."

"Then why did you not kill me?" The boy asked. "I am less than worthy in the eyes of the Grandmaster now. He only let me stay because my friend threatened to leave if I was not kept."

"Just let me go." Kuai Liang said softly. "We don't need to be enemies. We can be friends, close companions who can trust each other."

The weight on top of him suddenly disappeared. Immediately afterwards, he felt himself get tugged up by the collar of his shirt. He felt hot air blowing into his face as he cringed from the confusion.