Mortal Kombat: The Three Titans

Chapter Forty-Two: Hope

(Hans Zimmer - S.T.A.Y [Interstellar Main Theme])
-Kuai's POV- I wake up feeling hot, even after taking the armor off the night prior. Bi-Han stirs awake, looking concerned. "You okay?" He asks groggily. "Yeah, just kinda hot..."
"Go take a shower," He yawns, looking at me with half open eyes. "That should help cool you down." He wakes up a bit more, sitting up slightly using his elbows. "Something else is concerning you." He whispers.
"Just our talk last night. About the war, and everything else going on currently." I answer back truthfully. "Anything else?" He asks with extreme gentleness.

The words stick in my throat as tears spill over before I can stop it. Bi-Han pulls me into a tight hug. The pressure of everything comes crashing down on my mind. "Let's talk more. The others can wait."
"But—" I sputter, "what will the others think? I left! I ran away when things got bad."
"Oh, Kuai Liang." Bi-Han murmurs, rubbing my back. "I understand that you were stressed. Do you think I do not get stressed as well?" He smiles sadly, letting me go. "The war is over," he murmurs, looking at me with tears in his eyes. "Stay with us. Stay with me. We never gave up on you...."

He kisses my forehead, cupping my cheeks with his hands. His grip is slightly cold, but his blue eyes hold warmth. I smile. "Thank you." I grip his hands in mine. "You look better," he observes, his voice soft.
"A little," I admit. "Come, we should see how the others are doing."
****
I watch Zodith chew on a strip of salmon jerky as we discuss more about the plague and why it hit.
Studying the map of Pangea Ultima, I make a connection. "Fujin, you stated that the Bubonic Plague began in Europe, right?" The God of Wind nods. "And since Pangea is a large supercontinent...." I point at the Eastern part of the map. "Europe is a part of Hanzo's empire."

"So, you're stating that history may be repeating itself?" Bi-Han guesses. "It's only a theory," I begin, looking up at him. "It makes sense....in an odd way." I murmur.
"And the cure?" Bi-Han asks. "How is that coming along?"
"The process is slow," Fujin states sadly, looking genuinely upset. "But we are making progress."

Later, I end up in the library, returning the book to Tundra. While rereading about the Titan War, I hear someone walk in. "Hey...."
"Hanzo," I nod, looking over my shoulder at him.
He walks over, brows furrowed when he sees what I'm reading. "How are you feeling?" I ask.

"I should be asking you that," he responds. "Bi-Han told me you are stressed."
"Aren't we all?" I joke lightly. "Especially now?"
He smiles slightly. "I understand why you ran off," He begins softly, sitting down across from me. "You needed a break. I get it. But running off like that....leaving us worried...."
"Was not in good taste. I know." I finish his sentence.
A moment of silence fills the space between us.

"How is the cure going?" I almost blurt out.
Hanzo sighs. "Slowly but surely. We should have the vaccine ready by the end of the week." I nod. "Okay."
He smiles, then gets up and leaves. I watch him go, then rest my head in my hands, letting relief wash over me as I let out a shaky breath.