And I Know You Won't Remember Memories In Ember
Chapter 1; I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

Kuai Liang could not escape the intense feeling of unease that seemed to be following him everywhere he went.

It had started subtly enough that he believed the feeling to be completely irrational. Even while on the run from The Lin Kuei, he shouldn’t have been feeling like something or someone was constantly following him. Because The Lin Kuei wouldn’t bother quietly stalking him, they’d lock onto his location and immediately begin their assault.

So, initially he had no clue why he felt something was so wrong. He couldn’t see anyone at first, not even out of the corner of his eye. Until he walked into a town one day and spotted a man in a black suit. Anywhere else in the world, he wouldn’t have batted an eyelid at that. But in the middle of a rural Chinese town, where people generally wore more casual or traditional clothing?

The man stood out like a sore thumb.

And after that, he kept seeing more.

In every village, town and city, there was at least one person in a suit. Out in the wilderness, he would spot someone standing off in the distance. He even started to recognise some of them too. One was a long haired blonde white man who almost looked like he’d be at home in one of Johnny Cage’s movies. Another was an Asian man with a very notable birthmark on his neck. There were so many of them, of all different races but they all had at least one unique feature that he picked up on. A lip ring, a tattoo, an unusual hair colour, freckles.

It was getting to the point that he was starting to tally how many times he saw each of them.

And the fact the numbers were starting to get into double figures was concerning.

They never did anything to him, never actually approached him, but it was so obvious that he was the one they were watching. Even behind the dark sunglasses they all wore, Kuai could feel their gaze on him, watching his every move. He didn’t know what they wanted, if they were friend or foe, but either way, it was beginning to weigh on his mind, making him increasingly paranoid.

As he entered the threshold of the latest village, he kept his head low, even as a couple of the locals gave him distrusting looks. Still he made his way down the street, trying to get through as quickly as he possibly could. He hadn’t been able to take a rest in a few days however, so he decided he’d need to stop somewhere. In the distance he could see a sign that read “Inn”. Maybe I should stop for the night? Get an actual good night's sleep for once.

As he passed by an alley, from the corner of his eye, he saw the familiar black suit.

He paused in his tracks, head snapping over to look directly at the man. It was the Blonde man, standing and staring at Kuai with his hands hidden behind his back. Even with the man’s eyes hidden by large sunglasses, Kuai was sure they were making eye contact. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, feeling bile rise in the back of his throat.

He couldn’t keep going on like this, feeling like he was constantly under surveillance.

He turned himself to fully face the man, staring him down as best he could. He could have sworn the asshole actually smirked at that. He clenched his fist, just barely stopping himself from encasing it in ice. This is it, he thought as he began to storm towards the man. He’d either get answers or at the very least confirmation on if he was really being followed.

To his surprise, the man didn’t react much to his approach. He didn’t begin to run, or otherwise attempt to avoid the incoming confrontation. If anything, he just looked incredibly amused. When Kuai actually got close enough to be standing directly in front of the man, he realised he had no idea what to do. If the guy had run, he could have pursued, he hadn’t anticipated the man not reacting at all.

“Can I help you?” The man asked him smoothly, although the tone slightly condescending, like he was addressing a child rather than a grown man in his 30’s.

“Why are you following me?” He growled, desperate to seem dangerous, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You and your little entourage of suited pricks.” Without really thinking he reached a hand forward, grasping the black fabric of the man's clothes in his fist. “Why are you following me?”

The man smiled slightly, “a coincidence, I’m sure.”

Kuai grit his teeth, his grip getting ever so tighter.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” he bit out, pulling on the man slightly but finding he barely moved for it. “You and the others have been there at every turn. Every path, every village, you have been there, watching me. I demand to know why!”

Kuai was suddenly aware he was standing on his tiptoes, desperately trying to get in the man's face despite their height difference. It must have looked ridiculous to anyone who happened to be watching him. The man smirked down at him, looking like he was seconds away from just laughing in Kuai’s face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The man tilted his head, and switched the tone of his voice to faux concern. “Are you okay? You appear to be experiencing an increased level of paranoia currently.”

Kuai laughed. A loud bitter angry laugh right in the man's face.

“Maybe you should take a rest, hm?” The man continued to suggest, as Kuai’s laugh quietened. “I hear the inn in this town is lovely.”

Kuai swallowed, there was something unnerving about that. Like this man was extremely invested in Kuai going to the inn.

What do these people want?

He wasn’t going to get answers, at least not like this. He knew well enough by now to pick his battles wisely, and this was one he had no hope to win. Releasing his grip on the man, he took a step back.

“I will be fine, thank you very much,” he huffed. Now this man had mentioned it, there was no way he was entering that inn. Something was going to happen to him if he went in there, he could just feel it.

As he turned away, he heard the man call out to him, “I really think you should reconsider, Sub Zero.”

Kuai paused in his tracks. Slowly looking over his shoulder, he saw the man wearing a smug look. Kuai had not used the name Sub Zero around this man. Hell he had barely talked to anyone during this entire journey, let alone tell anyone either his real name or codename.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Kuai feeling a twisting in his gut. That was it, the confirmation that these men really were following him. Yet it felt so strange. What did the man get out of revealing it in this way? Other than to mess with him?

So… Did he just say it by accident?

“I never mentioned my name,” Kuai said lowly, hoping maybe to see a look of surprise, like the man hadn’t intended to say that. But no, he just continued to smile at him. He’d definitely done it on purpose.

What exactly could he hope to accomplish by doing that?

“Maybe you didn’t,” the man replied, reaching up to his glasses to pull them down slightly, now squarely meeting Kuai’s gaze. “Maybe I just overheard a conversation, or maybe I’ve been sent by The Lin Kuei to find you, or… Maybe the Shirai Ryu? You have many enemies, right, Sub Zero? I could be anyone.”

“You aren’t with The Lin Kuei,” Kuai spat, fully turning on the spot and concentrating on the words rather than the implications that this man knew far more about his life than Kuai would care anyone to know. “Or the Shirai Ryu. Even if they were still around, if you were with them, you’d have tried to kill me before now.”

“Ah, I suppose that is true,” the man hummed thoughtfully, pushing his glasses back into place. “Then, maybe I truly am just a passerby, hm?”

Kuai didn’t know what to say to that. He was far too freaked out by this conversation and the almost-but-not-quite confirmation he was indeed being followed. Unsure if he could cope with this much longer, his only option was to just walk away, lest he let it eat away his sanity.

He turned his back on the man and began to storm off, hoping to get away as quickly as possible.

Behind him, he heard the man chuckle and shout to him, “you should really consider what I said about resting.”

Like fuck am I going anywhere near that inn.

Yet at the same time, he absolutely needed to rest. He’d been on the go almost constantly and even if his current fears were valid, it absolutely wasn’t helping how tired he was. He reached into his pack, taking a quick look at the handmade map he’d scribbled on a scrap of paper so he’d have some vague idea of where to go. He was sure he’d marked another inn somewhere in the vicinity of this village. There was one, it’d take another hour or so for him to trek to it, but it seemed like the safer bet at this point.

He shoved the map back into his pocket, heading off in the right direction. He didn’t bother to look back at the man, because he knew if he did it would reveal just how affected by this he was.

The sooner he got to the Inn the better.

As he had anticipated, it had taken him around an hour to get to the inn on the outskirts of the town.

And so far everything looked normal. He hadn’t seen any more of the suited men, or anything else really off. The nagging at the back of his mind told him to keep alert. If he really had thrown off their plans by going to a different inn, their stalking would only get more aggressive than it already was.

He paused outside for a minute, leaning against the building and glancing around. There was still no one else around.

So why did something still feel wrong?

He clenched his fist, grinding his teeth as he continued to survey his surroundings. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. Just anything odd, anything that didn’t belong or stood out as strange. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Somehow, that didn’t do anything to quell his fears.

Had he made a mistake coming here? Maybe he should completely forgo the inn and continue on?

He ran his tongue along his teeth, his mouth was so dry that if he didn’t at least stop to get a drink he’d run the risk of dehydration. He sighed, and lent back against the wall. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his map. A glance told him the next closest inn was over two hours away, and he knew for a fact he did not have the energy levels to reach it.

He looked up at the inn, the sign so weathered he couldn’t make out the actual name. Just a drink of water won’t hurt, will it? He went towards the door, gently pushing it open, and peering inside. The place was mostly empty, with just a handful of people sitting around one table, and someone behind the counter. No one was wearing a suit, and none of the people looked like the men he’d seen previously.

Just a quick drink, in and out. That’ll be fine.

He steadied his resolve and stepped inside. The men at the table stopped talking to stare at him for a second, before deciding he wasn’t that interesting and returning to their conversation. He swallowed, adjusting his armour. Just because they didn’t care about his presence right now, didn’t mean they wouldn’t find something to take exception to later.

He made his way towards the counter, the lady behind it looking up as he did. She smiled brightly but it wasn’t a natural one, it looked extremely forced, but Kuai supposed he couldn’t blame her for that. If he had to stand behind a counter serving people drinks all day, he’d probably have to fake a smile too.

“Hello,” she greeted, putting down a glass and focusing a little too intently on Kuai instead. “What can I get you?”

“Just a glass of water, please,” he muttered, reaching into his pocket to find the little money he had left.

“Are you sure?” She asked, tilting her head. “You look like you could do with a meal of some kind too.”

“No, just the water please.” He could stand another couple of days without food, water was far more important.

The woman hummed, sounding strangely disappointed by this. Kuai told himself she was just disappointed she wouldn’t be getting more money out of him. Still she picked up a clean glass and turned her back to him. He couldn’t see what she was doing, but he could hear the rush of liquid filling the glass. Seconds later, she was back to facing him, putting the water on the counter.

Kuai placed down a couple of coins to pay for the drink. The woman accepted them, pushing the water towards Kuai.

“Thank you.”

Kuai took the glass in his hand, just observing the water. It was perfectly still, clear, and looked like a normal glass of water.

So why was that creeping feeling of unease catching up to him again?

He gave the inn another glance, even in the low light, no one was paying him any attention. In fact it almost felt like everyone was making a point to not look at him. If anything, that just made the feeling even worse.

“Is everything okay?” The woman asked, making Kuai turn to face her again. She still had that fake smile on her face, and the more Kuai looked at it, the more anxious he felt. “You seem a little worried by something.”

“Yes,” Kuai muttered, finally picking up his glass of water and bowing slightly to her. “Yes, I am fine.”

He didn’t give her chance to ask again, as he took his glass and walked off. Making his way through the room, he went to a small table in the far corner. As he sat down, he made sure he was directly in the corner. No one could come up behind him that way. He could also see the entire inn, so if one of the suited men walked in, he’d see it immediately and have a better chance to make an escape.

He didn’t even drink for a while, just sat in silence, watching the group at the other table. They were too absorbed in whatever they were talking about to take any note of Kuai.

But his eyes slowly drifted over towards the woman behind the counter. She was trying so hard to make it look like she wasn’t looking at him. He gave her credit for effort but even from afar he could see that while her head was down towards a glass, her eyes were in his direction.

Maybe she was keeping an eye on him for a reason. Or maybe he was just a strange man who’d walked in, asked only for a glass of water and that had made her suspicious of him. In the mists of his own distrust, he never stopped to think about how his behaviour might come across to other people.

Well, I might as well use this opportunity to figure out where I’m actually going.

He took a quick sip of his water, before pulling out his map again. At that moment, he didn’t have a final destination, as such. His only real aim was to get out of China. It felt bitter to think such a thing, he loved his country dearly, but with The Lin Kuei looking for him, he didn’t feel safe staying any longer.

Considering where he currently was, his best option was to try and catch a boat to South Korea first. Then, possibly Japan, even if that idea made him anxious. The Shirai Ryu were no more, in theory it should be safe for him to be there. From Japan, he wasn’t sure. Now that he thought about it, Japan didn’t have many places close by that he could get to. He had possibly gone in the completely wrong direction if he wanted to quickly get as far away as possible.

Maybe when I’m in Japan, I can find a way to get a fake ID and take a plane to America? It sounded like his best option. That or maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to contact Special Forces. Johnny Cage was annoying, but many moons ago, during the tournament, he’d offered Kuai a home. Kuai had turned it down at the time, and then he died, so it turned out to be a moot point anyway. Maybe the offer would still stand, or at the very least, Cage would help him find somewhere to lay low.

He took another larger gulp of his water. Yes. A plan was starting to come to him. First, he needed to get to South Korea. There would probably be some merchant boats he could stow away on. He looked at his map, grabbing a pen from another pocket as he circled a dock a few days away that would be the closest place to go from.

He began to work out a new path. He wanted to conserve as much energy as he could, so he tried to avoid too many mountainous or potentially dangerous paths. Between every couple of lines he drank more of the water, using that time to think over the path he was taking, and changing things if he thought it needed too.

Then, for a fleeting second, he felt dizzy.

He closed his eyes, trying to let the feeling pass. It thankfully did, fairly quickly at that. He was possibly more tired than he had initially believed, or a lot more dehydrated. He drank the last of the water to be sure, and considered briefly if he should order more.

He turned his attention back to his map, but when he did, he realised there was something wrong.

The writing on the paper was blurry. His breathing hitched as he looked up. It wasn’t just the paper, the whole room was blurry.

He blinked rapidly, hoping somehow that would clear his vision but it did nothing. The dizzy feeling came back, stronger this time. He closed his eyes, his head was absolutely spinning. He could feel himself slowly swaying on the spot. When he reopened his eyes, the world was warping around him, almost like he was on a boat being rocked by the sea during a storm.

“What?” Kuai whispered to himself, beginning to feel so very hot.

He needed to get out of here.

He braced his hands against the table, trying to push himself up and onto his feet. He stumbled slightly, only stopping himself from falling by tightening his grip on the table.

The entire world felt unstable, like he was about to fall through the ground at any moment. Yet he still tried to push forward, stumbling over himself as he tried to get away from the table. The heat was getting unbearable, he needed to get outside to cool down.

He tried to move across the room, but found himself very quickly losing his balance. One second, he was upright, then he blinked and the next second he was face to face with the wooden floor.

He desperately clawed at the ground, trying to pull himself along. Why had no one come to see if something was wrong? Surely someone had noticed that he needed help by now, right?

The sounds around him seemed to echo, especially the sound of the Inn’s door opening and several pairs of footsteps approaching him. He was still trying to pull himself along when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Seconds later, he found the world flipping around, and he was staring up at the ceiling.

A face came into view, but Kuai could not make out who was looking down at him.

“Well, well, well,” the person said, and Kuai felt his blood run cold. That was the voice of the suited man from earlier. “I did tell you that you should have gone to the Inn in town, now didn’t I?”

“Y-You…” Kuai didn’t have the brainpower to voice his despair.

This had been a trap, and like an absolute fool, he had fallen for it.

The Grandmaster was right, he really was stupid, wasn’t he?

“N-no,” Kuai croaked out with a sob, trying to push himself back onto his stomach. He needed to get away, even if he had to crawl.

“Now, where exactly do you think you’re going to go like this?” The man cruelly chuckled, moving so that he grabbed Kuai under his armpits.

Kuai felt himself being lifted into the air, realising that someone else had taken hold of his feet as well. He weakly slapped his hands against the arms holding his top half back, trying to conjure his ice only for a few flakes of snow to escape his fingertips. His head began to feel light, eyes so heavy he couldn’t keep them open. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be awake for much longer.

He heard more doors open, and seconds later, he was being placed down somewhere. He felt something metal clip around his wrist and neck. Just about managing to reopen his eyes, he saw the suited man staring at him with a predatory grin.

“Agent X is going to be so pleased we finally got you.”

Kuai didn’t have a chance to compute those words, as a door in front of him was slammed shut and his eyes closed one final time, darkness enveloping him as his conscious thoughts slipped away.

“Alpha team,” Agent Y announced into a microphone, “the target has the drug in his system, he will be ready for pick up in around 5 minutes.”

“Roger that,” the voice on the other end replied.

X sighed dramatically, it had taken a lot to set this plan into motion. Kuai Liang was not an easy man to keep track of, let alone predict his actions before he did them. But it was almost over now, and soon he’d be in their grasps. He had to give Agent Z her due, her plan worked flawlessly. The trick to get him into the right inn by using his own paranoia against him was inspired, and he was honestly surprised that Kuai Liang had actually fallen for it. X was certain Kuai Liang was smarter than that, but he supposed lack of sleep could make an idiot out of even certified geniuses.

“We are still in agreement that I will be the one to torture him, correct?” X questioned, watching on the screen as Kuai’s head started to droop slightly. He swayed, pushing to stand up on very unsteady feet.

“Yeah, yeah,” Y replied in an annoyed tone.

“And that once we have the information we need out of Hasashi, I get to keep him, right?” That was the agreement, and X needed it to be kept to. Kuai Liang was an absolutely fascinating subject, and by the time he was done, X would understand every part of him.

“You’re a really weird guy, you know that X?” Y snipped at him, but X just rolled his eyes.

No one else understood his fascination with the man, and no one else shared it. To them, Kuai Liang was just another magic user in a world overrun with them. But there was something that stood out about Kuai Liang, at least to X anyway. He truly was as like a snowflake as his powers suggested, unique from everyone else in the world, even amongst those that shared his particular skill set. X found himself drawn to him, and when X was drawn to something, he needed to know everything about it.

Regardless of what it took to get the information he desired.

“Once we get the reply from Hasashi, he’s all yours,” Y sighed in defeat, clearly not wanting to stoke the flames or get into whatever was going on in X’s head.

Good.

X turned his attention back to the screen, watching as Kuai stumbled around, struggling to stay upright. Soon, his legs gave out under him, ending up on his knees. Seconds later, he was face down on the floor.

As Alpha Team closed in, manhandling the barely-conscious Ex-Lin Kuei into the back of a truck, X smiled to himself, knowing soon he’d be able to start his research.

He’d been waiting for this chance for far too long, and he was going to make the most out of it.

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