A Fading Memory When My Mind Is Frozen

Hanzo entered the room with extreme caution.

These Flesh Pits were Shang Tsung’s pride and joy, the place he worked on his most depraved experiments. While it was unguarded, it was highly likely there would be some form of trap to discourage intruders. He had to be careful.

They all knew about Mileena now, the half Tarkatan clone of Princess Kitana. It was as twisted as it was sad. Despite everything, Hanzo did feel a strange sympathy for Mileena. She had never asked to be made, especially not like this. Maybe one day, they’d be able to make her see she was another victim and that they didn’t have to be her enemy.

That, however, was something to tackle another day. The current issue at hand was if there were any other experiments that Shang Tsung was working on.

Hanzo had rather drawn the short straw on going to investigate.

He heard broken glass crunch under his boot, as he glanced around. There were many strange body sized pods, although they were all completely empty. Hanzo assumed it was where the clones were grown. His eyes were drawn to a board across the room, with various papers pinned to it. He took a quick glance, but nothing really made sense to him, they just looked like general anatomy drawings you’d find in a collection of field notes.

A bubbling sound caught his attention as he turned on his heels to see where it came from. Over in the corner, a green light glowed ominously. He pulled his kunai out of his pocket, as he slowly approached the glow. As he got closer, he realised it was coming from another pod. Only this one seemed to be filled with a thick green liquid, a shadowy figure could just about be seen inside.

So, it seemed there was at least one more clone in Shang Tsung’s possession.

As Hanzo stood in front of the pod, he realised there was a small plaque on the front. Engraved into the metal were the words “Kuai Liang”. Hanzo raised an eyebrow. Kuai Liang? What does that mean? It sounded like Chinese, but he was far from an expert. He suddenly wished one of the Shaolin had accompanied him.

The liquid bubbled again, the shadow twitching slightly. Was this another Mileena, or could it be someone different? If this clone was as unstable as Mileena, then it could be dangerous to let them free. He supposed he wouldn’t know unless he opened the pod.

Despite his head screaming at him not to, he reached forward for a button he assumed would open the pod. There was a strange whirring sound, and then the sound of rushing water, as slowly the green liquid began to lower and drain. Soon it was low enough to reach the shadow, revealing raven black hair. Hanzo hissed, it really could just be another Mileena.

But then the clone's face was revealed, and Hanzo had to do a double take at what he saw.

Because the face on the other side of the glass was Bi-Han’s.

Or at the very least, it was close to Bi-Han’s. There was a large scar down the side of the clone’s face, as well as the signature Tarkatan teeth. Strangely, the clone also seemed to be a fair bit shorter than Bi-Han too.

The questions began turning in Hanzo’s head. Why did Shang Tsung make this clone? Did The Lin Kuei want this clone made? Did Bi-Han know about it? Hanzo doubted he’d have let anyone go to the flesh pits if he did. What could possibly be its purpose?

The whirring finally stopped, before there was a loud click. The door to the pod slowly creaked open. Still the clone did not move, Hanzo wasn’t even sure he was breathing. He reached a hand forward, trying to take the clone’s wrist to check his pulse.

But as Hanzo’s hand touched the other’s skin, the clone took a very deep intake of breath. His eyes shot open and he fell back, breathing frenzied and pupils darting around like he was trying to figure out where he was.

“Easy,” Hanzo commanded, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. “Are you okay?”

The clone’s breathing evened out, as he stared straight at Hanzo. His face twitched slightly, before he pushed himself out of the pod. His legs almost gave out under him, and Hanzo just about managed to catch him before he fell.

“Slowly,” Hanzo instructed.

The clone looked up at him and blinked. Using Hanzo as a support, he pushed himself to stand up straight. He didn’t move, just stared at Hanzo, like a lost puppy looking for attention.

“Uh… Hello,” Hanzo tried, he really wasn’t sure if the clone could understand him. “My name is Hanzo.”

The clone blinked and tilted his head, before answering with “I am Kuai Liang.”

Well, that explained the engraving. At this, the clone pushed away from Hanzo and walked away, seeming a lot more steady on his feet now. Although now that he was a distance away from him, Hanzo realised the poor man was completely naked.

“Where am I?” Kuai Liang asked, looking around with wonder. He paused and looked down at his hands. “There is something I am meant to do.”

“What do you mean?” Hanzo asked, watching as Kuai began to wander aimlessly around the room. Dread was starting to set in. Even though he didn’t appear aggressive right now, Hanzo wasn’t sure it would remain like that.

“There is something… I am…” He trailed off, as he spun on the spot, tilting his head to look up at the ceiling. “I am… Supposed to follow someone’s orders.” Kuai suddenly jumped slightly, head snapping over to Hanzo. “Oh! Is it you? Am I supposed to follow your orders?”

“I-“ Hanzo hesitated, not entirely sure what to say to that. At least he was fairly certain now that this clone was created for The Lin Kuei. Who else would want an exact copy of Bi-Han except with less fight-back against orders?

“Ah! It must be!” Kuai nodded confidently, before rushing over to Hanzo and bowing. “What are your orders, Master?”

Oh fuck. How the hell was he supposed to navigate this situation? He had come in somewhat expecting a fight, not whatever the hell this was. Still, Kuai Liang seemed docile for now, and if he continued to be like that, maybe he could get them both to the other defenders to figure out what the hell to do.

“We need to get out of here,” Hanzo began, before his eyes flicked downwards. Ah. Right. Kuai was naked. While the clone didn’t exactly seem to mind, Hanzo still wanted to give him some dignity. “But first we need to get you dressed.”

He glanced around, spotting what looked like a tattered robe on one of the tables. It looked like it was barely hanging together by a thread, but at the very least, it would do for now. He grabbed it, and went back towards Kuai. He grabbed Kuai’s arms and positioned them so they were over his head, before he pulled the robe down over Kuai’s body. It didn’t give much coverage after all, but it was enough.

“Right.” Hanzo brushed his hands, before reaching to grab one of Kuai’s. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Yes Master,” Kuai agreed, eagerly following Hanzo, and blissfully unaware of how much being referred to as that made Hanzo cringe. He’d find a way to bring it up later. Right now, they needed to get out of the flesh pits alive.

This was all extremely exciting.

Kuai couldn’t get over how incredible the world was. This was his first time ever seeing it, and he was fascinated by it. The thick jungle was amazing. Full of green plants and trees so large it was like they touched the skies themselves. Every so often, there was a flash of colour between the green, and he’d find himself drawn in by the beautiful flowers.

Master wasn’t anywhere near as impressed, if his facial expression was anything to go by. But he didn’t do anything to stop Kuai from investigating things. Kuai supposed that was understandable. Master had probably seen this all before. Whereas for Kuai Liang, absolutely everything was new. The world was new. New and absolutely amazing.

“Oh! Look! There is a bird sitting on that tree!” Kuai pointed towards the beast. It was small, and had wings. That was what a bird was right? How did he know it was a bird? How did he know this was a jungle? How did he know what plants and trees were? This was all new to him, right?

Why did he know what these things were?

“Kuai Liang, I appreciate that this is all very exciting for you,” Master calmly spoke, approaching Kuai and gently taking his hand. “But right now, we need to get back to my group of allies. Once we are there, I swear I will let you look at everything you want. Okay?”

“Ah. Yes, sorry Master.” Kuai was getting a little ahead of himself, wasn’t he? He wasn’t supposed to want to chase his own desires. Only serve the demands of his Master. And if his Master wanted to get somewhere, he really needed to stop holding him up.

Master grimaced slightly, as he tugged on Kuai’s hand to guide him through the foliage.

“You know, Kuai Liang, I really would prefer you not call me Master,” he said.

“Oh.” Kuai hadn’t even considered that Master would want to be called something other than that. There was something strange inside that compelled him to refer to him as that. “Then, what would you prefer I refer to you as?”

“Just Hanzo, would be fine.”

“Very well, Just Hanzo,” Kuai replied, putting aside the way that felt wrong coming out of his mouth. But surely Just Hanzo’s desires mattered more than how he felt, right?

Just Hanzo made a strange face, but whatever he was thinking, he chose to keep it to himself.

Kuai heard rustling above them, tilting his head to look up while trying to keep walking at the same pace as Just Hanzo. The bird that had been sitting up there had taken flight, and Kuai watched it go.

“Ah, the bird is flying,” he informed Just Hanzo, in case he needed to know. Kuai frowned, the bird looked actually kind of tasty. “I want to eat it.”

“Maybe later.” Just Hanzo gently pulled on Kuai’s arm, and Kuai realised that he’d come to a stand still again. “Kuai Liang, may I ask you some questions?”

“Of course, Just Hanzo,” Kuai replied eagerly, deciding to keep his attention on the other man in the hopes it would encourage him to keep walking and stop getting distracted.

“Do you know why you were made?” That was a strange question. Kuai was aware of how he’d come to be, if only vaguely, but as to why? He only knew he was supposed to follow orders.

“I… To follow your orders, Just Hanzo,” he replied, deciding this was probably a test. That has to be it right? Just Hanzo was making sure he knew his place.

“But… Why?” Just Hanzo questioned again, looking at Kuai with his brows drawn together in frustration. “To what end do you need to follow those orders?”

There was a strange feeling in Kuai’s chest, like there were a million butterflies inside it trying to burst out between his ribs. What did Just Hanzo mean? He was created to follow orders, that’s it. He doesn’t need to know what the purpose of that was, he just needed to obey.

“I don’t understand the question,” Kuai finally squeaked out, that fluttering feeling creeping up to his throat.

Why was I created? What is my purpose?

“Kuai Liang.” Just Hanzo’s voice brought Kuai out of his panic. When Kuai looked down, he could see his hands shaking, but Just Hanzo was holding them tightly to still his tremors. “I’m sorry. My question was not meant to upset you. I just wanted to try and figure out how much you know about your own creation.”

“W-What is my purpose?” Kuai asked. If Just Hanzo was the person he was meant to follow, then surely he knew.

However the sad smile Just Hanzo gave him told him it was not that simple.

“I don’t know.” One of his hands reached up to the top of Kuai’s head, gently patting his hair. Kuai made a strange squeak as he did. It felt nice, but Kuai wasn’t sure why. “But I promise we will figure it out.”

No matter what his purpose turned out to be, Kuai was very glad it was linked to his Just Hanzo.

“Hanzo! You’re back!” Another voice called out and Kuai almost jumped a mile. A man wearing a red headband approached them, but paused in place when he noticed Kuai Liang. “I was about to ask if you found anything but uh…”

Just Hanzo coughed and turned towards the man, gently pushing Kuai forward. Ah. This man must be one of the allies he mentioned. Kuai supposed he should make a good first impression.

“Hello, I am Kuai Liang,” Kuai said brightly, pushing away his previous distress. He bowed to the man, and when he returned to stand upright, the man raised a single eyebrow.

“It’s good to meet you, I’m Liu Kang.” Liu’s eyes flicked between Kuai and Hanzo for a few seconds before he finally continued with “um, Hanzo, you are aware he looks exactly like-“

“I did notice, yes,” Hanzo cut in before Liu could finish the sentence. Kuai was a bit dumbfounded by that. What did Kuai look exactly like?

“What’s going on?” Another voice called, and Kuai heard several pairs of footsteps come from behind Liu Kang. There were two women, one wearing green and one wearing blue, and three men, one with a large hat, one with long grey hair and one…

One…

One that almost exactly shared Kuai Liang’s face.

Those butterflies were back, as Kuai stared directly into that man’s eyes. He looked as surprised as Kuai did, but Kuai couldn’t tell if he had the same feeling in his chest that Kuai did. The man didn’t have Kuai’s mouth, or his eyes, or even the scar on his face, but the rest of the resemblance was uncanny.

But more than that, when Kuai looked into that man’s eyes, he swore to the Elder Gods he knew him.

Not just because they shared a face. There was something more. Something deep inside him that told him that they had met before.

The hazy sound of a song being sung to him in Mandarin echoed through his mind.

A memory? But whose? Because it couldn’t be Kuai Liang’s…

Could it?

“What is this?” The man hissed, and Kuai wanted to flinch. He didn’t know what he’d done to upset this man, but clearly he’d done something.

“Bi-Han, please don’t be angry at him,” Just Hanzo replied, stepping forward in front of Kuai slightly, like he was trying to shield him. “I found him in a pod in the Flesh Pits. His name is Kuai Liang, and I believe he is a clone of you.”

Bi-Han’s breath hitched as he questioned “Kuai Liang?”

“It is nice to meet you,” Kuai said quietly, hoping maybe it would put the other man at ease. It only seemed to make it worse. The man’s face kept switching between fury and despair.

Bi-Han shook his head, and quickly turned away and walked off. Kuai felt himself hang his head in shame. He didn’t know what he’d done. Maybe he’d be able to make it up to him later.

“You… Really think he’s a clone of Bi-Han?” The woman in green questioned.

“You need to explain, now,” the man with grey hair growled, his voice demanding and harsh. That wasn’t the voice he usually had, he was much more soft spoken than that usually.

Wait… What?

How could Kuai possibly know how this man usually spoke? He’d never met him before.

“Let’s settle in the camp,” Liu said, stepping aside and pointing in the general direction the camp must have been. “Then we can get to the bottom of whatever is going on.”

Just Hanzo pat Kuai’s back, before once more pushing him forward gently. Kuai complied with the silent command, once more trying to push his unease away.

And ignore the feeling like something terrible was about to happen.

Hanzo had done his best to fill in Earthrealm’s forces on what had happened at the Flesh Pits. He wasn’t sure if he’d done a good job or not. They had many questions, and most of them Hanzo had no answer to. Why was Kuai Liang created? What was his purpose? Who requested his creation?

None of that was within Hanzo’s ability to answer.

Kuai himself had gotten bored at some point, so Hanzo had let him just wander around the camp a bit. Besides, it felt easier to discuss things about him without him being around. How upset he seemed about being asked his purpose, or even how he looked when he met Bi-Han. It was clear these things distressed him, and Hanzo had no intention to put him through that again.

“Are we sure we can trust him?” Kitana asked, hands clasped tightly around a cup of water. It was clear she was nervous about this, and to be fair, given her experience with Mileena, Hanzo couldn’t blame her.

“I genuinely don’t believe he’s a threat to us,” Hanzo tried to plead. He’d only spent a small amount of time with the clone, but he was certain at this point if he had wanted to hurt any of them, he would have by now.

“Just Hanzo! Look!” Hanzo looked over his shoulder to where Kuai Liang was standing, one of his ice blades out, with a bird spired onto it. “I caught a bird!”

As Kuai took a triumphant bite out of his catch, Hanzo turned back to the fellow defenders, all looking at him with deadpan expressions.

“He may, however, be a threat to wildlife.” Dammit Kuai Liang, I’m trying to vouch for you here. It wasn’t Kuai’s fault though, not really. He was just following his instincts. “My point is I think if he had wanted to hurt me at any point he would have.”

“Well, I mean at the moment he seems to believe you are his Master,” Sonya pointed out, leaning back on her arms. “He might not be so agreeable if his real Master shows up to take control of him.”

Hanzo wanted to argue that point. But he didn’t really know what he could say against it.

“I mean, he seems to have free will,” Johnny chimed in, looking over Hanzo’s shoulder, presumably at Kuai Liang. “It’s not like he’s brainwashed or anything right?”

“Right,” Liu Kang agreed, taking a sip of his own water. “Maybe if we can encourage him to embrace his own agency, he will be more inclined to help us.”

“Embrace his own agency, yep, exactly what I was gonna say,” Johnny cheered, holding his cup up like he was making a toast. If looks could kill, the one Liu gave him would have slaughtered him in seconds.

“And what if when he embraces his agency, he decides he wants to work against us?” Jade asked, and Hanzo didn’t miss how her hand went to rest on Kitana’s shoulder.

“I mean, that’s a risk we’re just going to have to take,” Lao replied, shrugging as he did. “Let’s be fair, any of us could suddenly turn on the rest at any moment. Tomorrow morning we could wake up to find Cage has decided to sell us all out to Shao Kahn in exchange for his own mansion.”

“Hey,” Johnny exclaimed in a mock offended tone. “I’ll have you know, I consider you guys to be worth at least two mansions, thank you very much.”

“Point still stands.” Lao rolled his eyes. “We just have to trust we’ll be a good influence on him.”

“Then you should keep Cage far away from him then,” Sonya bitterly bit out between her teeth.

Despite Johnny’s complaint, the rest of the defenders laughed.

Well, everyone except Smoke.

The entire conversation, he’d been silent, staring at his hands with a frustrated look on his face. Hanzo should have known out of anyone, Smoke and Bi-Han would be the hardest to win over with this concept.

“Smoke,” Hanzo addressed, and everyone else’s laughter quietened as they all turned to look at the former Lin Kuei assassin. “I know this must be hard for you and Bi-Han to accept but… This isn’t Kuai Liang’s fault. Please, don’t take your rightful anger out on him.”

Smoke gave a defeated sigh, “you are right.” He bowed his head slightly, squeezing his eyes shut. “I just… don’t understand why they had to name him that.”

“Why? What does Kuai Liang mean?” Hanzo had wondered, but Smoke’s reaction rather implied it was a bad thing.

“No, it’s not-“ Smoke stopped, taking a deep breath. “It’s not the meaning of the name it’s-“ he paused again, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but that is Bi-Han’s tale to tell, not mine.”

Hanzo made eye contact with Liu Kang. He could see in the chosen ones eyes, he had the exact same question that Hanzo did. What does that name mean to Bi-Han?

“Uh, guys.” Kung Lao suddenly sat up, looking around frantically. “Where’s Kuai Liang gone?”

Hanzo turned around, to find, indeed, the clone was no longer in the camp. Shit.He really should have realised Kuai’s inquisitive nature would lead to him wandering off. He could only hope that he hadn’t gotten into too much trouble.

“I’ll go look for him,” Hanzo said as he stood up. “At the moment, I’m the one he trusts the most.”

“Fair enough,” Liu Kang replied with a nod. “Good luck.”

Yeah, I’m going to need it.

Hanzo hoped that maybe Kuai Liang had left a trail of half eaten wildlife for him to follow.

Kuai kept his body low to the ground, creeping forward on all fours towards his current target.

He wasn’t sure what it was. It was like a rabbit, except with even bigger ears and a long tail. He ignored his own question on how he knew what a rabbit looked like. That kept happening and it was getting more and more frustrating. Besides, when he was hunting was not the time to get bogged down with such things.

The creature stilled, its ears and nose twitching like it knew something was there. This was his chance. Kuai could jump on it now and catch it.

He launched forward, drawing his arm blades as he did. Pointing them down towards the creature, he hoped to spear it on them. However, seconds before impact, the creature went running, and Kuai could not stop his own momentum. As he withdrew the blades, he found himself falling face first into the dirt instead.

He groaned, pushing himself up on his hands. He would get that damned creature, if it was the last thing he did. Glancing around, he tried to figure out where it had gone. Until he noticed a humanoid figure in the clearing he was in.

The figure turned around when it heard him, and Kuai quickly realised it was Bi-Han, the man from earlier who shared his face.

And Kuai once again got that sickly feeling like they knew each other. It was like there was some invisible string attaching them to each other. And someone was pulling on it, daring him to get closer.

“Um… Hi,” Kuai said quietly, not sure how he should be acting. Bi-Han had seemed angry earlier, and despite Kuai’s own feelings of a connection, it didn’t mean he felt that same pull. “You didn’t see where the rabbit-thing went did you?”

“No. No I didn’t.” Bi-Han’s voice was flat, almost emotionless. Why did that make Kuai want to cry? He didn’t want Bi-Han to be mad at him, he just wanted them to be together like they used to be.

“I- I’ll go,” Kuai said quietly as he pushed himself to his feet, terrified of his own feelings. Confused by his own thoughts. What was happening to him?

“Wait,” Bi-Han said, before Kuai could turn to leave. He took a few cautious steps forward. “Do you- Do you remember me?”

And there it was, that weird flood of emotions. Was Bi-Han asking because he felt that connection too? Is that what was happening here?

“I- I don’t but-“ he hesitated when he saw the disappointment in Bi-Han’s eyes. He looked so sad that Kuai didn’t remember him. “You feel familiar to me. And not just because we share a face.”

“Do you remember Tomas?” Bi-Han asked, and Kuai shook his head, even though for some reason an image of the grey haired man came into his head.

“I- Is that the man with the grey hair’s name?” He asked, watching as Bi-Han’s eyes widened and he lent forward slightly. “But, I’m not sure why I think that.”

“What do you remember?” Bi-Han reached forward to put his hand on Kuai’s shoulder. His grip was tight, not uncomfortable but there was a strange desperation in the action.

“I woke up in the Flesh Pits. And Just Hanzo was there. And I am supposed to follow orders, so I must have to follow his orders, right?” That made sense to Kuai, but…

“Do you remember anything before the flesh pits?” Now Bi-Han’s voice sounded desperate as well, like he needed Kuai Liang to be able to answer his questions. Kuai couldn’t understand it. He had seemed so angry when he first saw Kuai, why was he suddenly so interested in him and his memories?

“No.” Kuai blinked, because he didn’t remember anything, but he certainly knew things he shouldn’t. “But I seem to have knowledge of things I shouldn’t. Like I knew what a bird was. And a rabbit.” He rubbed at his wrist with one of his hands, that fluttering feeling once more beginning to bubble in his chest again. “And… that the grey haired man was called Tomas.” He blinked a few times, before looking into Bi-Han’s eyes. “Do I know you?”

Bi-Han bared his teeth, and Kuai could only describe what he was seeing as a man in extreme agony. An emotional hurt so raw it manifested into a physical pain. The hand on his shoulder gripped a little tighter, and Bi-Han’s breathing stuttered like he was holding back tears.

Was this how Bi-Han had reacted when Kuai Liang died?

Kuai stopped breathing. I’ve never died. Why do I think I have?

“Kuai Liang,” Bi-Han asked, his voice sounding as wrecked as he looked. “What are your favourite flowers?”

“Oh, that’s easy, snowdrops!” Kuai paused as soon as that word escaped his mouth. At the horrific realisation that he had never seen a snowdrop before. “But… How can my favourite flower be something I’ve never seen?”

He looked at Bi-Han again. His free hand was over his mouth, like he was trying to stop himself from saying anything. The hand that had been on Kuai’s shoulder moved, reaching up to trace the scar over Kuai’s eye. The hand stopped its journey at Kuai’s mouth, teeth jutting out in a chaotic manner. It felt so intimate, an action that had been done a million times before.

“I don’t understand,” Kuai whispered, looking down at his own hands. “Why do I keep having these flashes of a life I haven’t lived?”

“Because you did live it, once upon a time.” Bi-Han spoke with such tenderness and care, a voice Kuai had never heard, and yet had heard so many times. “You did live it. Please, dìdi.”

In Kuai’s mind, he saw Bi-Han looking at him with an immense amount of pride.

“Well done dìdi! You’ll earn your codename in no time!”

Kuai gasped, pulling back from Bi-Han in a violent manner. His hands reached up to his head, grabbing at his hair. He couldn’t breathe, feeling like something was crushing his chest and his throat was closing up. He could hear Bi-Han talking to him, could feel his hands on his body, but the world was twisting around Kuai.

“Bi-Han!”

Kuai’s head snapped up as he realised that it was Just Hanzo’s voice. When he looked in that direction he saw a blur of yellow heading towards them. Seconds later, he felt himself being pulled backwards, and in the blink of an eye, Hanzo was in front of him rather than Bi-Han. A hand on Kuai’s head, that action Kuai so loved and wondered if he’d crave for the rest of his life.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Hanzo asked somewhat frantically. Kuai didn’t know how to answer the question. He wasn’t physically harmed, but mentally?

“I- I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Kuai admitted, trying desperately to hold back his cries and failing dismally. “I’m sorry Just Hanzo.”

“No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Hanzo assured him, ruffling his hair slightly as he spoke. “None of this is your fault.”

“Hanzo,” Bi-Han started, trying to step back into Kuai’s vision.

Hanzo’s reaction was quick. Shoving Kuai behind him and using his entire body to shield him.

“Bi-Han, stop this,” Hanzo demanded, “I understand this must be strange for you, having been cloned, but none of this is Kuai Liang’s fault.”

There was silence for what felt like an eternity.

“I do not think he’s a clone of me,” Bi-Han said, sounding absolutely miserable. Kuai frowned, shifting himself so he could see around Hanzo and towards Bi-Han instead.

“What do you mean?” Hanzo asked, a hand darting backwards to stop Kuai from stepping out in front of him.

Bi-Han stared at Kuai Liang, eyes still searching for some kind of recognition. He turned his attention back to Hanzo, breathing out as he finally explained what was on his mind.

“I think he’s a clone of my younger brother.”

“I should explain,” Bi-Han began as they managed to finally gather all of the defenders.

Everyone sat around the campfire. Hanzo sat next to Kuai, putting a body between him and Bi-Han. Maybe the cryomancer didn’t mean Kuai any real harm, but it was clear this was hurting Kuai regardless. Hanzo didn’t understand why he felt so protective over the clone, but he did. Elder Gods help anyone who did try to hurt Kuai Liang, quite frankly.

“I had a younger brother. His name was Kuai Liang,” Bi-Han began, his gaze solidly on the clone. “When he was 20, he was killed on a mission. His body was never recovered.”

The defenders fell silent as they took in that information. Was it possible that Shang Tsung had managed to find the original Kuai Liang’s body, and created the Clone from his DNA? Hanzo glanced at Kuai, his head was low and he was refusing to look at anyone. All Hanzo could do is place a hand on his back, rubbing in circles to try and offer him some comfort.

“So. Shang Tsung made a clone of your dead little brother?” Kung Lao asked, a hint of disgust in his voice. “That’s low, even for him.”

Kuai curled in on himself slightly. How Hanzo resisted the urge to pull him into a hug, he didn’t know.

“Yeah, that’s kinda fucked,” Johnny added, and Hanzo couldn’t help but notice him reaching over to Kuai as well. “Hey man, we don’t blame you for this, alright. You didn’t exactly have any choice in this, after all.”

Kuai did not respond, but Hanzo did notice how when Johnny’s hand landed on Kuai’s head he did seem to lean into it. It seemed he enjoyed head pats. Hanzo wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but it was worth noting.

“What I don’t understand is why.” Sonya added, leaning backwards and crossing her arms. “Did someone ask him to do it?”

“I would assume it was The Lin Kuei,” Liu Kang said with a shake of his head. “I mean, who else would?”

“But why?” Jade questioned, stressing the fact that she didn’t think it made sense. “The Lin Kuei are hardly hurting for warriors. Why would they care about one life enough to commission a clone of them?”

“They wouldn’t.” Smoke’s declaration caught everyone off guard. Everyone’s heads snapped over to him, aside from Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. “Kuai Liang was seen as one of the weaker members. The Elders weren’t exactly fond of him, especially not enough to try and bring him back to life.” Tomas slammed his hand down, a bang echoing throughout the camp, causing Kuai to make himself even smaller, a slight tremble in his form now. “I mean for fucks sake, they didn’t even give a shit enough for them to find his body so we could give him a proper burial!”

“Tomas is right,” Bi-Han miserably confirmed. “My rank did not save him from their wrath. They pretty much despised him. There is no way they would ever put in this much effort for him.”

“Even if they got someone who would follow their orders without question in return?” Kitana asked, pointing at Kuai as she spoke. “Because from what Hanzo told us, it sounds like he was brought into this world with an instinct to blindly serve.”

“No.” Bi-Han shook his head. “Even if Kuai was obedient, he was seen as weaker and inferior.”

“So, if not The Lin Kuei, then who?” Sonya’s face was screwed up. “Or did Shang Tsung just decide to do this of his own design?”

“Did you or Kuai Liang have any enemies that may have wanted to use this against you?” Liu asked in a sincere tone. Bi-Han finally tore his attention from Kuai to Liu, giving him the most deadpan stare Hanzo had ever seen in his life.

“It would be easier to give you a list of people I have not pissed off,” Bi-Han replied in a tone as flat as his facial expression. “I am an assassin after all.”

“I guess our Kuai Liang doesn’t know anything,” Johnny gently prompted, his hand now on Kuai’s shoulder and squeezing gently. For as annoying as Hanzo found the actor, he was glad he seemed as concerned for Kuai as Hanzo was.

“No,” Kuai sadly admitted, the first thing he’d said since they sat down. He lifted his head ever so slightly, avoiding eye contact with anyone except Johnny. “I just know I’m supposed to obey someone. I thought because he woke me up, that it was Just Hanzo, but…”

“Yeah, well if I ever find who it is, I’m going to punch their nuts so hard they explode,” Johnny muttered in the most serious tone Hanzo had ever heard from him. He only just stopped himself from laughing at the juxtaposition of it all.

“What if whoever it is doesn’t have nuts?” Jax questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Same situation, just without the nuts and with ovaries instead.” Johnny shrugs. “Apparently getting hit in the pussy hurts just as much.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Sonya grumbled, clearly bitter from past experience.

“Let’s return to the topic at hand, shall we?” Jade said, sounding annoyed by the derailment. “I don’t think we’re going to get answers for who and why without confronting Shang Tsung.” She turned to Bi-Han, placing his hands on her knees. “Is there anything else about this situation we need to know about?”

Bi-Han turned back to look at Kuai again, the clone having returned to ducking his head and refusing to look at anyone. The pain on Bi-Han’s face was clear to see.

“I think he has Kuai Liang’s memories,” Bi-Han claimed, turning his full body towards Kuai. “They’re buried at the moment, but he kept saying he remembered things, and seems to have flashes of clarity.”

“What do you mean?” Hanzo asked, now it was his turn to look at Kuai Liang. Could he really have the memories of a man who’d died?

“I asked him what his favourite flower was.” Bi-Han stood up and walked over to Kuai, kneeling in front of him. “His answer was a snowdrop.” Bi-Han brought his hand up, and with his ice, a delicate flower began to form. A snowdrop. He placed the ice flower in Kuai’s hand, finally causing him to lift his head. He stared at it, before finally looking Bi-Han in his eyes. “How could you know that, without ever seeing them? Unless you have.”

That was a good question. Maybe Kuai Liang really did have his deceased self’s memories. That seemed like a dangerous thing to do however. Surely that wasn’t by Shang Tsung’s design, was it?

“Bi-Han,” Smoke tried to get his fellow Lin Kuei’s attention. “I’m sorry but… That isn’t your brother.”

Bi-Han’s head snapped over towards Smoke, and god you could see the murder in his eyes.

“He is the closest I will ever get to having Kuai Liang back!” Bi-Han jumped to his feet, summoning a spear of ice. Tomas stumbled backwards, as Liu Kang and Kung Lao swiftly went to restrain Bi-Han. “I do not care what the circumstances are, Kuai Liang has been brought back to me, and I will not allow anyone to take him away from me again.”

There was a snapping sound, as Kuai Liang clenched his fist and broke the ice snowdrop in his hand. His eyes were wide with terror. Hanzo once more went to reach for him, only for Kuai to flinch away from his touch. Before anyone could say anything, Kuai was on his feet and running off into the jungle.

Fuck. Hanzo’s heart hurt for him. All of this must have been so confusing. Hell, Hanzo was so mixed up by it, he could only imagine it being 100 times worse for Kuai Liang.

Hanzo stood up next, sparing everyone a glance and trying to give them as reassuring a smile as he could muster.

“I’ll go after him.”

He didn’t give anyone a chance to argue with him, immediately heading in the same direction that Kuai had, and hoping he hadn’t managed to get too far ahead.

All that he could hear was his own breathing, coming out of his mouth in heavy but sharp and short bursts.

He was on the edge of a cliff, not that he was really conscious of that. The world around him was spinning, and his chest burned from the effort of breathing. His hands were tangled up in his hair, his eyes stinging, face wet with tears that rolled down his cheeks.

This was all too much. How was he supposed to go on? Knowing he was nothing but an inferior copy to someone else? The knowledge he was essentially stealing another person’s life was crushing him inside. Insidious voices whispering in his head.

You’re a monster. You are a disgusting freak. Have you no respect for the dead? Taking his name and his family? You can never be what he wants you to be, you know that, right?

He desperately tried to muffle the whine that escaped his throat. Despite what Bi-Han said, he would never be Kuai Liang, not really. He was just a replacement. When Bi-Han realised that this clone could never be the Kuai Liang he wanted, he would throw him away. And frankly? Kuai couldn’t blame him.

“Kuai Liang,” a soft voice interrupted, and Kuai jumped on the spot, looking up to see Just Hanzo kneeling beside him. Kuai hadn’t even heard him approaching. “I’m sorry, I know this is upsetting you. Please, just, talk to me.”

Kuai hiccupped. He wasn’t sure how he could ever explain what he was feeling at that moment. He supposed he would have to try.

“If I am not Kuai Liang, then who am I?” Kuai asked, hoping that would be enough to explain the existential dread overtaking his entire self. “I am nothing but a parasite, wearing a dead man’s face.”

“That isn’t true,” Just Hanzo tried to assure him, but Kuai just shook his head.

“But it is.” He reached a hand to his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. “Tomas is right, I am not Kuai Liang. I can never be what Bi-Han wants me to be.”

“I… I know.” Just Hanzo reached a hand forward, gently patting Kuai’s head. “I don’t think the pressure Bi-Han is putting on your shoulders is fair. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t Kuai Liang.”

“But-“

“No. No buts,” Just Hanzo softly sighed. “Regardless of if you are that Kuai Liang, if you possess his memories or not, you are your own Kuai Liang, and that’s what matters.” Kuai wasn’t sure he followed the logic. Either he was Kuai Liang or he wasn’t, there really wasn’t a middle ground. “You will figure out who you are with time, and who it is you want to be.”

“What if who I am is not a good person?” Kuai asked, reaching to mess with the robe he was wearing. “I am not an idiot. I can see the way your allies look at me. Like I am about to tear them apart at any second.” Kuai’s fists clenched, what if they had a good reason to distrust him? He was already pretending to be someone else, any other lies of who he is would surely not surprise them. “What if their fears that I am nothing but a monster are true?”

“I think the fact that concerns you so much shows you are a good person.” Kuai frowned at Just Hanzo, once more not following where he was coming from. “Bad people do not generally concern themselves with if they are good or not.” Hanzo swallowed and took a deep breath, “trust me, Kuai Liang, I am an expert in the depths of evil this world can spit out and you are nowhere near that.”

Kuai wasn’t sure he could believe that. But it was clear Just Hanzo wasn’t going to let him argue the point. Instead he just turned his head, out across the view from the cliff. He wasn’t looking at anything in particular, he just couldn’t keep looking at Just Hanzo.

“I realise my words may be hollow now, but I promise, you do not have to go through this journey alone,” Just Hanzo continued. Kuai’s breath hitched as he felt the other man reach to take hold of his hand. “Whoever it is you are, regardless of if that is Kuai Liang or someone completely new, I will be by your side until you figure it out.”

Kuai turned to look at Just Hanzo again. What he found looking back at him, was the most tender expression he’d ever seen. Well, he supposed that wasn’t really much to go by. That wasn’t the point. Just Hanzo looked at him like he was a person, not the monster he felt he was. Kuai felt a strange pang to his heart, like it had skipped a beat.

The expression was so sincere, Kuai almost believed Hanzo’s words of him being a good person to be true.

“Thank you, Just Hanzo,” he replied, squeezing Just Hanzo’s hands.

“Hanzo.” The correction was gentle, and not demanding, and Kuai felt weirdly honoured that he could now drop the Just honorific of Hanzo’s name. That Hanzo trusted and respected him enough to allow him to do so.

“Thank you, Hanzo,” he said, and if his mouth wasn’t pretty much permanently open, he’d be smiling around this time. “I am… thankful it was you who found me, and not whoever ordered my creation.” That was an entirely different issue. It was clear now Hanzo was not the person whose order’s Kuai should have been following, so who was?

“We will figure that mystery out as well, believe me,” Hanzo answered the question that was never asked aloud. “And if whoever it was had nefarious purposes for you, I will not let them harm you.”

Kuai was surprised when Hanzo pulled him forward, wrapping his arms around Kuai’s torso and holding him close. It took a few seconds for Kuai to realise he was being hugged. Unsure if he was doing it right, Kuai returned the gesture by linking his own arms behind Hanzo’s back.

“By the honour of the Shirai Ryu, I will be your guardian.”

Kuai didn’t know what to say to that, just tried to show his appreciation physically by reaching up to pat Hanzo’s head. The other man laughed, before they both pulled back.

“So, what happens now?” Kuai asked, unsure if there was an actual plan.

“In the morning we will begin our trek to Outworld’s colosseum.” Hanzo pointed off in what Kuai assumed was the rough direction they would be going in. “Until then, we need to eat and rest.”

Oh, eating. Given Kuai’s expert hunting capability, he might be able to help with that. Maybe an offering of food would help the other’s trust him too.

“Want to help me try and hunt that rabbit thing I found earlier?” Kuai asked.

Hanzo chuckled again, before pulling his kunai out of his pocket and twirling it in his hand.

“Let’s go catch the little bastard.”

Kuai snorted, jumping to his feet, and gesturing for Hanzo to follow his lead. Between the both of them, they were sure to return to camp with a bountiful feast.

“Well… This presents a problem.”

Shang Tsung stood, staring at the now empty pod where Kuai Liang should have been. He placed his hands on his hips and clicked his tongue. That particular experiment had been requested by a certain client, and was due to be delivered soon. He only had the one specimen, so it had been imperative that he got everything completely right with him.

One specimen that was now missing.

Yes. This was definitely a problem.

He pulled an amulet out of his pocket, holding it up and saying “an issue has arisen.”

“What kind of issue?” A voice called out from the amulet. Shang briefly glanced down at it, before looking back towards the pod.

“Kuai Liang is gone,” he replied simply, tilting his head as he looked at the scene a little closer. He couldn’t see any scratch marks, or evidence that the pod had somehow failed. “It doesn’t look like an escape, more like someone has taken him.”

“I paid you to deliver me that specimen, Shang Tsung,” the voice growled in warning. Shang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. The Client could be so over dramatic sometimes.

“And you shall get what you paid for.” Shang walked around, trying to look for some sort of clue. If someone else had been here, they had to have left a sign. And that’s when he noticed a small torn piece of cloth that had caught on something and ripped. He lent down to pick it up, raising an eyebrow. “Yellow fabric.”

“Pardon?” The voice forcefully questioned, and Shang had to bite his tongue to stop him from replying in a sarcastic manner.

“I have just found a torn piece of yellow fabric,” Shang explained, fiddling with the fabric between his fingers. “I can think of one person who just so happens to wear yellow.”

“Hanzo Hasashi.” Shang could hear the anger in his client’s voice. Understandable, given what a thorn the former Shirai Ryu general could be.

“I would hazard a guess that the arachnid is the one who currently possesses your specimen.” He dropped the fabric, having decided he had all the information he could get from it. “And I know for a fact that Raiden’s forces are currently making their way towards the colosseum.”

“If my specimen is in any way injured or damaged-“

“I will repair it.” Shang shook his head. His experiments were far more hardy than his client was giving him credit for. Not to mention, if the Client’s plan was as solid as he thought, there was no way in hell Bi-Han would have let any harm come to Kuai Liang.

“You had better,” the client’s voice snarled, “I will be holding you to that.”

“Of course.” Deciding he’d said all that needed to be said, he put the amulet away. He took a deep breath. The Client was a useful ally, but good grief the second it was beneficial to drop him, Shang would do so in an instant.

Deadly alliance, my ass.

Still, right now, he had a certain amount of obligation to The Client. He needed to make sure the specimen was delivered. Not to mention one of his creations was running around, probably being corrupted from its purpose by Raiden’s pet Earthrealmers.

He created a portal to the colosseum, and stepped through.

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