Mortal Kombat: The Three Titans

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Phantoms

(Starset - Solstice)
-Bi-Han's POV- Hanzo ends up taking all of this information regarding the figure we saw to Raiden, teleporting there in a whoosh of fire. I sigh, turning away from Kuai's large fireplace and walk down the hall. Ironically, now I cannot sleep at all.

I end up walking over to Kuai's room and slowly open the door. Both him and Zodith are asleep, his face calm. His breathing is even. I tiptoe over to his bedside and look down at him.
A sudden wave of sadness hits me like a freight train. Why?
Why did Kuai demand that we cast that power swap on him? He'll never have his Cryomancy powers back.

I feel a sob build up in my throat and I cover my mouth with both hands. Does he hate me? Hate us for what we did? I could see resentment in his eyes when he first entered the Temple of the Titans.

Tears burn in my eyes as I look down at him. I want to apologize. But what good would that do? I let the tears fall down my cheeks. I hold a shaky hand out, hovering over his face, but don't touch him.
I draw my hand back, stepping away.

Blinking back another wave of tears, I walk out of his room and close the door quietly. With my silver cape flowing behind me, I rush over to Kuai's restroom and stare into the large mirror. My hair is a mess, eyes bloodshot and burning. I finally sob, the sound echoing in the large tiled room.

I grip the counter tightly, feeling frost form on the surface. I hear footsteps outside the hall and quickly put my hood up, then lower my head.
"Bi-Han?" Kuai yawns, entering the restroom and blinking groggily. "What are you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep," my voice sounds fake in my ears.

Kuai catches onto this immediately. "Hey," He snaps awake, grabbing my arm gently with his warm hand. I notice that his gloves are off, revealing his pale skin.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing...."
"Look at me, Bi-Han," He orders gently but firmly.
I do so, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks again. Kuai gasps, eyes wide. "What's...." His voice is soft. "What's wrong?"

"Just...." I clear my throat, looking away, releasing my grip on the counter. "I feel terrible for you. My heart aches at what Hanzo and I did!"
Kuai looks confused for a moment, then tilts his head with a frown.

"Bi-Han....That was years ago...."
"But it still feels like that was yesterday!" I counter, sniffing. "Brother...." Kuai croons, reaching up to wipe my tears away. "I'm not mad. Not anymore."
He gets on his tiptoes to kiss both of my cheeks. "I've moved past that event." His amethyst eyes stare up at me sadly.

"Come," he grabs both of my hands in his. "Let's go to my room. Let me comfort you. You've done so much for me already," he smiles. "Now let me return the favor."
Now my eyes widen, but I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

He guides me back to his room. Zodith is asleep on the floor, near the fireplace.
"Lay down," he murmurs. I do so, looking up at the ceiling. His room is dark, with the walls built from black brick and stone. I take note of the small white dots painted on the ceiling, making it look like the night sky.

Kuai's sad face suddenly comes into view, looking down at me. He looks tired, with shadows under his eyes. "You should get back to sleep," I urge him. He shakes his head no, mouth set in a firm line.
He leans down and kisses my cheek again. "My goal right now is to make you feel better." He whispers, his voice soft.

"Kuai—" I argue. He places a finger on my lips, shushing me. "Shh. Relax, Sailor Neptune..." he teases, smiling slightly. He then pulls up the polar bear fur blanket over the both of us.
Laying next to me, his gaze lock into mine.

"I know I've said this a million times before, but I am thankful that you did not give up on me." He strokes my cheek, just like I did when I confronted him in that field. "I'm glad that you still care, even after all of these years."
I find myself blushing, feeling my heartbeat quicken in embarrassment. "Your heart is beating fast." He notices, his hand now on my chest.

I grab his hand in my chest and kiss his calloused fingers to tease him. He gasps, drawing his hand away as his cheeks burn. I laugh.
"You always knew how to embarrass me, big brother." Kuai smiles genuinely.

"Thank you," he states, "for looking out for me."
"Anytime. I did say I would be with you. Always." I smile back.
"Where is Hanzo?" He asks.
"Speaking with Raiden about what we saw in the forest."
Kuai looks concerned. "So late at night?"
"Heh. Have you ever seen Raiden sleep?"
He looks at me blankly. "...No...?"
I laugh again, ruffling his hair into a spiked mess. "You're still so cute, little brother."

He blushes deeply, looking away. "If you call me a medieval bean again, I swear...."
"I won't," I joke. "Unless you want me to."
He sighs, getting out of bed and removing his purple cape, unclamping it by the silver moon medallion and placing it on a chair nearby.

I realize that this is the first time I've ever seen him without the cape on. I take note of the silver spine decoration on his back, similar to the one he had as a Revenant all those years ago. I watch him remove the obsidian armor piece by piece, each layer removed revealing more of his upper body.

He still looks physically fit, even after all these years. But his skin has gotten pale, more pale than mine. Almost....like a corpse. As white as freshly fallen snow. But it's the black mark over his heart that catches me off guard. It looks like he had been....stabbed or shot there, but the wound never really healed. Black veins flow out of the wound in random directions, like fractured glass.

But all of the black veins mainly cover his chest.
He notices me staring at him in stunned silence and smiles sadly. "If you ever wondered why you've never seen me without the armor on, this is why."
"How did that happen?" I ask, touching his chest gently as he gets back in bed.

"After my fall....after your combined attack...." He trails off, grabbing my hand and placing it over his heart. "The darkness spread like a disease. My body would have been covered in scars if we didn't have that self-healing power."
"What are you implying?" I ask softly.
"Why do you think I have those silver claws on my armored fingers?" Is all he asks.

I feel terror and anxiety deep into my soul.
"No," I shake my head. "You didn't! You couldn't!"
He lets out a light laugh, lifting my hand away and kissing the back of it. "I stopped doing that years ago. Because I knew you and Hanzo would have found out somehow."
I'm left speechless, feeling numb. He's been hurting himself, even after all of these years? And he never told me?

"I'm..." I choke out. "So sorry..."
"Don't be," He coos, kissing my forehead and cupping my cheek with his hand. "Get some sleep." Is all he says, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb before taking his hand away.
That prophecy was right.....
Darkness is eating away at his heart, slowly.
The damage on his chest is proof enough.
I'll need to speak to Hanzo and Raiden, tomorrow, without Kuai knowing. I just hope I can leave without him noticing.