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#Subscorpweek
kryzinz · 8 months
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@subscorp-week - Day 6: High Notes
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It might’ve been Johnny Cage’s idea for this karaoke song hehe
Wholesome moment between these gays to sing their hearts out during karaoke night. I took inspiration from that video where Markiplier was singing Livin’ la Vida Loca lmao. It was either that or 24 Hour Cinderella from Yakuza 0 (it was a hard decision for me 💀).
Also I was feeling a bit low so I decided to draw Kuai in a corset to cheer me up (it worked lmao). He’s so cute 🥺💕.
Hope y’all enjoy this piece hehe.
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den-kunn · 8 months
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Day 7: Brother in Law
@subscorp-week
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gotitagluglu · 8 months
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Happy Subscorp Week 💙💛🎉
Day 1: Experimentation
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Johnny Cage says: a little green Cage magic and you'll have energy for anything :D
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@subscorp-week 💙💛🎉
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waw1x · 8 months
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@subscorp-week day 2 - Bitten!
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I mean. If your boyfriend sleeps like a cat, acts like a cat, and you pet him like a cat... you should expect him having feline dreams, those contain a lot of bitting.
I had so much fun drawing this prompt hehe, Hanzo is such a feral cat, I love him ♡
Also, this is my first participation on the event, so exciting waaaaaaaaaaa!!! This week is a little busy for me but I'll try to continue doing some other prompts anyways ;]
No silliness under the cut ;(
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subscorp-week · 9 months
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🧊💙IT'S SUBSCORP TIME🔥💛
The people have spoken and we are proud to announce the prompts for Subscorp Week 2023!Here's the lineup:
Sunday, July 30: EXPERIMENTATION
Monday, July 31: BITTEN
Tuesday, August 1: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
Wednesday, August 2: THAT HIT THE SPOT
Thursday, August 3: MK LEGENDS
Friday, August 4: HIGH NOTES
Saturday, August 5: BROTHER IN LAW
... and special guest prompt, CYBERPUNK
Y'all know what to do now- write, draw, manipulate, compose, sing, whatever form your appreciation takes, get to it because we want to see it ALL! Use these prompts as inspiration and let your hearts run free!
BUT BEFORE YOUR HEARTS GET TOO FREE, FIRST LET'S REVIEW THE RULES
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1 / The “Sub” in SubScorp is Kuai Liang.
We love Bi-Han and we love BiHanzo but this week is Kuai Liang’s time to shine.
2 / Any medium is allowed!
Art, fanfics, manips, gifs, macaroni art, text posts, memes and anything else we haven't thought of will be welcomed here. If you create it, we want to showcase it!
3 / Don’t be a thief!
Please make sure that your work is fully your own! Use of official Mortal Kombat imagery is allowed but please do not use the work of other artists if you do not want your bones stolen.
4 / Prompts do not need to be done in order!
Welcome to SubScorp Week 2023 where the prompts are made up and the order doesn’t matter! If inspiration strikes you outside of the official day, feel free to act on it! We only ask that you wait until the week officially starts to start posting!
5 / There is no time limit for the week.
We will still reblog tagged work well after the week has ended if there are still people creating for it. If you are reading this 10 years into the future, you are still welcome to participate 👀
6 / 18+ work will be allowed.
But please be aware that Tumblr is more likely to flag NSFW art. All work should be tagged in the correct manner and please make use of warnings, triggering or otherwise.
Want to share what you've written with the subscorp community? TAG US! We'll be linking it all into one collection on the Subscorp Week site, for easy access in the future!
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Squeals? Hit us in the ask box!
Journey forth, my subscorp friends!
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samadiz · 2 years
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Subscorp week day 6: secret
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Español/ English
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tetsukuzu1230 · 2 years
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@subscorp-week
subscorpweek開催おめでとうございます💛💙
(subscorpweek Congratulations on holding this event💛💙)
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summerwritesfics · 7 months
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🔥❄️A Fading Memory When My Mind Is Frozen
Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 8179 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Canon Divergence, Tarkatan Clone!Kuai Liang, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Existential Crisis, Angst, Distrust, Mild Gore, Hunting, Animal Death (Very brief and is in the context of hunting), Past Character Death, Emotionally not safe for Kuai (Like he’s pretty physically safe in this one but emotionally he’s going through it) Non-Consensual Body Modification (at least… that’s what I’m implying here) SubScorp Week 2023: Experimentation
SubScorp Week 2023 Masterlist
Notes: I am aware this is such a late post, and in my own defence, I did actually post it on AO3 during SubScorp Week itself, I just never got around to cross posting it here lmao. I’ll be honest last month I completely revamped this blog, and ever since I’ve kinda been dying to post again. Am I back off hiatus? Eh, not really. But y’know… I’m trying & MK1 releases next week so y’know… the plot bunnies will probably be hopping around a bit :) Fic title is from “Frozen” by Celldweller.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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“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.
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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.
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“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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thetrueweaveroffate · 2 years
Text
Subscorp Week - Day 2 - Clothes Swap
He moved slowly along the underbrush until he ended up at the edge of the small woods, still shrouded in the shadow of the morning.
 He could see the outskirts of the Shirai Ryu… and the Netherrealm army ready to take them. The sight was a bit unsettling. Although the Shirai Ryu is more than well-equipped and prepared for them, they know better than to underestimate their opponents. They keep themselves hidden for now. Good. A surprise attack can be effective when done right.
 But there is something he is more worried about at present.
 Quickly, but quietly, he inches toward the outskirts, avoiding the detection of the demons as well as the members of the Shirai Ryu focused on their opponent in the distance.
 There was a growing commotion behind the entrance gate before it opened and…
 Ah. There he was. The imposter.
 Dressed in the garb of the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster, of Scorpion, of him, the charlatan walked forward with Sub-Zero by his side, light reflecting off of the Lin Kuei helmet he rarely wore save for serious occasions, dressed completely for battle. Curious.
 He was too far away to hear what the fake Hanzo Hasashi was whispering into Sub-Zero's ears, but Kuai Liang leaned away and nodded. Was Sub-Zero taller? Or perhaps this faker had gone shorter.
 This pretender will have to be dealt with. Although he trusted Kuai Liang to not lead their collective clans to disastrous defeat, who knows if this pretender was from the Netherrealm himself. This man appears, just when Moloch and Drahmin manage to capture him? It's too much of a coincidence, and he refuses to put Kuai Liang and the rest of his clan in danger again if this pretender is nothing more than a spy.
 Hanzo's blood briefly felt like it was boiling. A demon who spends time with Kuai Liang, and managed to fool him and get away with whatever activities they did together.
 No, he needed to focus. There are more important things at hand than revenge.
  -------------
 Kuai Liang wasn't sure if he was losing his touch as Grandmaster.
 He could still remember the early days of being Grandmaster before he could say officially that he had that title. He was the only Lin Kuei left. He couldn't exactly be a Grandmaster of himself. That changed once Raiden had suddenly appeared without warning just to drop some members to populate this once-dead clan.
 It was thrilling, though he would never admit that to anyone without prompting. He was in charge of his life and of others and could build something for once. But failure was still heavy in his mind.
 Gods, was he cocky? And that was how to lose his damn clan again, and for his hubris, he was punished with starting all over once again, wiser this time around.
 "Of course, that means we will need to maintain consistent communication with the Shirai Ryu - " A grunt, from Bi-Han, "Because they are our allies, and this alliance is better well-kept than not. We will need Grandmaster Hasashi's aid in counterattacks the recent attacks on the Lin Kuei. "
 Collectively, the council nodded or hummed in agreement.
 Hanzo never failed. That was not the truth, but somewhere in his mind, it was. When they came across the functional Cyber Lin Kuei, when Hanzo had witnessed him at the consequence of his greatest failure, he held him together with a simple touch on the shoulder.
 Perhaps this alliance was the only thing that kept his sanity. It was the only thing that he created that stayed. It was the only thing he had that never left him alone and came back to him again, much, much later.
 "Good. Now, onto the next subject," Kuai Liang continued, "Based on the recommendations by Wen Cheng, the formation of the - "
 There was frantic knocking at the door that didn't stop. A few glances from his clan members, and an annoyed glare from his brother, but no one interjected.
 "Ninety-Nine Nuxia and -" finally having enough, Kuai Liang turned to the door, "-who is it?!"
 The servant girl cracked open the door just wide enough for them to see her face, "Apologies, but we have a visitor who wants to see you."
 "Sun Yao, I explicitly said no interruptions."
 She only looked overwhelmed, "Ah, well, it seems to be rather urgent Grandmas - "
 A figure behind her grabbed the handle of the door instead and slammed it wide open.
 "Takeda?"
 Kuai Liang had never seen him look so disheveled and his face so red. The boy looked like he literally swam across the Sea of Japan and sprinted the rest of the entire trek to the mountain peak to be here.
 "Our Grandmaster," he gasped, "Grandmaster Hasashi has gone missing."
 Kuai Liang blinked. "Hanzo?"
 Did he even return from his recent recon mission in the Netherrealm with his small squadron of Shirai Ryu? Or had he gone missing after his return? Either way, Hanzo is not one to just be captured. His mind refused to acknowledge even the possibility that something like this could happen. He felt his face go pale.
 "Yes!" Takeda hissed between breaths, "By Netherrealm demons!"
 Kuai Liang glanced at Sun Yao, who merely sheepishly shrugged. Distantly, Kuai Liang could hear some Lin Kuei members swearing down the hall.
 Realization dawned upon him. "Did you fight all my guards to get here?"
 Takeda only grew more frantic. "The Netherrealm is going to attack the Shirai Ryu in about a week! I need to find our grandmaster, and I am going to need your help."
 "Takahashi Takeda - sit down. Everyone else…"Kuai Liang exhaled through his nose. He pointedly ignored the headache and light-headedness that was inevitable at this point. He still refused to acknowledge that this was happening now - that Hanzo… He wouldn't just… "My apologies, but this discussion will need to be moved to a later date. Everyone is dismissed."
 Bi-Han didn't move. Kuai Liang did not need to let him go, and his brother knew it.
 Takeda sat down in one of the councilmen's seats once the last Lin Kuei bid their farewell. Sun Yao closed the door quietly behind them and remained at her Grandmaster's side.
 "You will explain everything." He stated plainly.
 "Our most recent excursion in the Netherrealm was… not completely a success," Takeda explained. "We've gone deeper than we maybe should have gone. It wasn't as if he could teleport all of us at once so we had to fight our way back and… and…"
 Takeda grimaced.
 Kuai Liang only nodded. "Go on," he gently encouraged.
 "We should have known it was a trap."
 Trap?
 "Quan Chi?" Kuai Liang asked without thinking. Unconsciously, he gripped the armrests of his chair.
 Takeda shook his head. "No, some blue demon with three eyes, large and kinda hunched over, and some demon with a white and green mask. It's like they were waiting to ambush him."
 "Moloch and Drahmin," BI-Han recognized. The fact that his expression darkened wasn't making Kuai Liang feel any better. Whoever they were, they must have been big if Bi-Han was able to name them from his days as Noob Saibot.
 "We managed to get to the portal." Takeda swallowed, "Master Hasashi told us not to worry about him while he fended them off, but we still left him behind. Worst still, recent scouts surveying the army said they seem to be the ones leading them. I don't know if that means that Master Hasashi is… It just"
 "No," Kuai Liang firmly stated. I refuse. At this rate, he was going to snap the wood off of the armrests. "This Moloch and Drahmin, they seem to have a history with him."
 "Not that much of a history," Bi-Han muttered, "Though definitely not one to be underestimated. They were the most feared out of Quan Chi's underlings, and for good reason. Moloch was a demon known more for this strength than his intellect. And Drahmin, well, he was the more disciplined one out of the two.."
 "Right." How come he never heard of them? Had they just assumed they were dead? Although the idea of Netherrealm demons being resurrected wasn't such a foreign idea to him. "Has Hanzo fought them off before - successfully?"
 "I mean," Bi-Han gestured vaguely, "He was here, wasn't he? And that means that he has the capability to defeat them again, or at the very least, escape. I have faith in him Kuai Liang, and risking your neck in the Netherrealm would hardly be necessary."
 "Well then, what about the attack?" Takeda retorted, "We still need his leadership to help deter them."
 The sense of despair was nearly tangible in the air. His clan needed him and he was not here in a time of utmost need.
 Just like he was with the Lin Kuei, Kuai Liang realized with a start. The failure of the last iteration of the Lin Kuei still burned in his mind, the budding clan that was sheared off before they could bloom.
 This wasn't his clan, but wasn't it though? Hanzo belongs to him much as Kuai Liang belongs to Hanzo. He also has no desire to watch the Shirai Ryu fall again, and he could imagine what it is that Hanzo would want him to do.
 So, he made a choice.
 "Said who, Takeda?"
 ----------------------
 Arrows rained upon the demons like rain, with the captain leading her archers. Shirai Ryu moved from treetop to treetop like gusts of air flowing through the forest. The rest of his army assembled into proper formation alongside the false Grandmaster and Sub-Zero, and they charged.
 He had to admit, even from such a long distance, that he was a competent fighter. More than that, a good fighter, enough to rival him, for one. His sword danced in the air, in strange yet familiar movements that vaguely gave him déjà vu, and he mowed down demons in his path like a scythe through a field of wheat. If he had fire powers, he didn't show them.
 That wasn't mentioning the fact that he and Sub-Zero moved in absolute synch. They moved in tandem, constantly aware and accommodating of one another, almost as if they could read each other's minds.
 Like Hanzo Hasashi.
 This feeling of confusion only grew with his feeling of rage, and that is a dangerous combination on the battlefield when it leaves him distracted enough for a demon to almost claw his head off.
 Almost.
 His own blade lashed out, like a scorpion's stinger, and sliced the head off just as cleanly.
 So much for his cover.
 ------------------------------
 "I'm surprised Grandmaster Hasashi didn't incorporate the Art of War in your training," Kuai Liang answered, "'All warfare is based on deception.'  Even though your Grandmaster is missing, we may discourage the Netherrealm from attacking if they believe the Shirai Ryu is still at its best."
 Takeda frowned, "What do you suggest?"
 "Well," Kuai Liang started slowly, "If he really is that integral in its defense, we will need someone to play the part of Hanzo Hasashi in order to deter the Netherrealm from attacking and defend the Shirai Ryu. Even if news of Hanzo's lack of a reappearance spread, all we need to do is fool the Shirai Ryu into thinking that he is okay while we come up with a plan to retrieve Hanzo, unless he reappears himself, which is also a possibility."
 "So.. find an actor?" Takeda questioned, "Don't know who in the Shirai Ryu can really pull of Scorpion, Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu, y'know?"
 "Who said anything about him be a Shirai Ryu member?" Kuai Liang retorted, "We just need someone who would kill and act as murderous as Scorpion can be. Like Bi-Han, for instance."
 Bi-Han's knee-jerk reaction was practically immediate, and the look of fury on his face almost reminded him of Scorpion himself.
 "Absolutely not," Bi-Han immediately responded, "I refuse to wear Shirai Ryu colors."
 "Why not? They are our allies."
 "And our ancestors would throttle me if they see me in yellow."
 Kuai Liang wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he relented, "I will pose as Hanzo."
 "Uh, with all due respect Grandmaster," Takeda cut in, "I think most people would recognize you as Sub-Zero from just a first glance. Not to mention you have ice powers instead of fire. And, you know, that scar?"
 "And a different gait," Bi-Han muttered under his breath.
 "Maybe…" Takeda hesitantly started, "I should pose as the Grandmaster?"
 "You are four inches too short, and thirty pounds too light," Kuai Liang pointed out, "You have the wrong profile. You aren’t going to fool anyone within twenty meters of you."
 Takeda seems to wilt in front of him. He knows Sub-Zero is right. He knows it isn’t going to work.
 Kuai Liang turned to the door. "Sun Yao?"
 The servant girl perked up, "Yes, Grandmaster?"
 "You would be the expert here on cosmetics, yes?"
 -------------------------------
 He was starting to be noticed, by both the Shirai Ryu and the demons, and yet they continued fighting. The Shirai Ryu who did manage to spot him only share a surprised glance at them before returning to the battle with renewed fervor. Good. They have risen to his standards and done well defending their home.
 They know they have time to ask questions later.
 The important thing was that the two "Grandmasters" did not notice him. Sub-Zero cannot afford to be distracted and confused in the heat of battle, and he cannot risk the false Scorpion suddenly turning on Sub-Zero in perhaps an effort to get away.
 Especially now.
 They were so far ahead, spearing the forefront of the army now. And distantly, he could see the two damnable demons. But… they were fighting Moloch and Drahmin, and Hanzo hesitated. Of the three, the demon overlords needed to be eliminated first. And the pretender certainly wanted that to be the case as well, given how he was striking him with his sort, with a sort of cold maliciousness.
 The fight was undeniably mesmerizing.
 Hanzo shook his head - why the fuck was he thinking about this now? Of all places and times? There was no doubt that there was entertainment to be found watching an expert flaunt their craft - he has done it before, and he was doing it now. It was like he was watching a dance.
 A dance that they were losing.
 He was disadvantaged. Hanzo couldn't put his finger on it, and yet it felt as though the pretender was purposely not fighting well.
 What the hell was going on?
 The false Scorpion lost his sword, the one with the strangely curved handle, and before he can recover it, a pair of large blue hands wrapped around his neck. They began to squeeze. And that was when he saw it.
 The very slight frost coating the very tips of his fingers. Moloch did not seem to notice.
 "GET OVER HERE!"
 Before Moloch could snap the imposter's neck like a twig, his grip loosened, blood immediately leaking out of his forearm. The man felt out of his grasp, thrashing, and Hanzo teleported him to safety.
 "You know you can use your cryomancy now, Kuai Liang."
 --------------------------------
 Despite the direness of the situation, doing all of this provides Kuai Liang with some twisted sense of thrill. It felt like a game of xiangqi, or even of shogi, that he would often play against Hanzo that only grew more intense the longer it lasted.
 There were so many pieces he needed to manage and check were in place, and central to all of it was him, and it was the only thing that slapped him back to reality.
 This was a clan, it may not be his, but for now, he was in charge of it.
 Now was not the time to be cocky, not like the way he was before, with the previous Lin Kuei -
 "I have filled them on what has happened so far. News of Master Hasashi's disappearance has not spread outwards yet, save for them."
 Takeda's words snap him out of his thoughts. Kuai Liang nods, before opening the doors to the council room.
 A lot of them were familiar faces, as they should be, given how close they work with Hanzo himself. But the one thing that was pervasive throughout all of them was the somber heaviness that clung to the air.
 Kuai Liang settled in the chair beside Hanzo's usual seat, and it made his absence even more obvious, but it was wrong for him to imply he was anything more than a valued ally from the Lin Kuei.
 Kuai Liang sharply inhaled, "I suppose there is no avoiding this topic. Although I am not your Grandmaster and have no right to be, we will defend this clan together."
 The members all looked at one another, and Kuai Liang did his best to ignore the unsure expressions on their faces.
 "Look," Takeda spoke on his behalf, "The Lin Kuei are our allies - we are supposed to accept their help, especially from the Grandmaster. I know he doesn't know us, but  maybe we can start from there to figure out what we are going to do."
 A young woman was the first the stand, and all eyes were drawn to her.
"Aikawa Sayuri," she bowed, "Captain of the Kyujutsu Division within the Shirai Ryu."
 "She's in charge of the archers," Takeda added helpfully. Kuai Liang nodded.
 "Fujikiyo Saburo," another man bowed, "Head of sabotage and warfare."
 The rest went along with it.
 "Hagina Seijuro, counterintelligence and espionage."
 "Takei Takemi, toxicology and medicine."  
 "Gushiken Hifumi," a girl timidly greeted, "But I am mostly in charge of maintenance and clan welfare?"
 "That's alright," Kuai Liang commented, "You are still a member of this counsel, and your role in this is still integral."
 "And I am essentially in charge of everything else, alongside Master Hasashi," Takeda concluded.
 "Very well," Kuai Liang said, "Our first and foremost concern would be to
 “That’s one thing down,” Kuai Liang notes. “Do we have ideas about Hanzo?”
 The silence speaks volumes.
 “Alright,” Kuai Liang states. “We’re getting nowhere sitting around. We’ve all got things to do. Anyone comes up with something, report in. Otherwise if he fails to return, you will be going on another excursion into the Netherrealm and I can accompany you this time.”
 He keeps waiting for someone to argue. For someone to say who died and made you king? No one does though. Instead, they all collectively nod and mutter amongst themselves before heading off in their own directions. Leaving Kuai Liang to accomplish his own tasks.
 Mostly, to makes sure he dresses to fool everyone, including the Shirai Ryu. He needs to bring assurance.
 He fetches Hifumi as soon as she is available, who immediately takes measurements and sends a request to the seamstresses for a new garb with the changed modification. She doesn't specify why the changes are necessary, but the seamstresses begin work without asking any questions. 
 With that down, he makes a call to his brother back at the Lin Kuei.
 He had no katana, and frankly, he found them too light and unbalanced compared to what he was used to. The closest he has had some experience with, he supposed, would be the ox-tailed sword. That will have to do. Despite it having a similar curve to a katana sword, It has a noticeably curved handle, and someone is bound to notice it but at least it won't be the demons from hundreds of meters away. Sun Yao arrived no later with the requested sword in hand.
 After practicing a few katas with the sword, he went over a few stances with the rope dart with Takeda, and once he was left all sore and satisfied, requested Sun Yao in Hanzo's (his? their?) chambers so she may practice applying the necessary cosmetics when the day comes.
 "I am afraid I have no experience in changing your facial structure," Sun Yao admitted, as she lifted a mirror, "But the scar should be hidden enough."
 "Then you have done enough." Gods he looked so tan, but it feels comforting strangely to see so much of Hanzo's sun-kissed skin on his. "I will be wearing his mask that covers everything anyway."
 Almost as if reading his mind, Sun Yao reached and grabbed the mask of the vengeful specter, and handed it to him with both hands.
 Pulling the hood over his head, Kuai Liang took the mask from her hands and placed it on.
 He was Scorpion. It felt so wrong, and yet so comforting. He was the man that provided much stability in the worst hours of his life. And now he felt like he was finally able to truly return the favor. People depended on him now. They trusted him.  
 It would be best not to fail them now.
 --------------------------
 The slice that beheaded them and ended their lives was surprisingly more satisfying than killing Quan Chi himself.
 Only this time, he finally fulfills his mission of protecting his clan instead of endangering the world.
 Well, he wiped away the disgusting blood from his eyes, in truth he has someone to thank for that.
 Kuai Liang looked like he was about ready to collapse, and Sub-Zero, his brother all along, patted his shoulder with one hand. But, gods, did Hanzo miss him.
 He reached out, arms outstretched for an embrace, and felt a cold palm push against his face.
 "Don't kiss me," Kuai Liang said, "My face is caked in makeup."
 Hanzo merely threw his head back and laughed. His olive skin made him look like he spent a decent amount of hours soaking in the sun. No doubt he will return to his pale self once they treat themselves to a nice shower later today.
 "You look good," Hanzo complimented, "In the color of the Shirai Ryu. As their grandmaster."
 Even underneath the layers of makeup on his face, he could still see a blush forming there.
 "I… am afraid I cannot be compared to you Hanzo," he slowly replied, "Even now, you…"
 Hanzo leaned in and kissed his forehead anyway. It was thick with makeup, but it was worth it.
Even underneath his mask, he could see Kuai Liang's eyes curl with happiness, and the two stared at each other with the most affection they'd felt in weeks.
"No, no,"  Hanzo gently chided, "You protected my clan. You truly are wonderful, and I would kill these demons a second time to prove that to you. You are worthy, in the opinion of the Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu."
 Kuai Liang earnestly believed in his words.
  "Gods," Bi-Han cried out, "Can you two flirt later? I want my brother out of your damn uniform."
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the-lin-gay · 2 years
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Subscorpweek 2022!!!!
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seventhstrife · 2 years
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Know Your Enemy
💙💛SubScorp Week 2022 - Day 1- Vampire AU💙💛
Link on AO3~
RATING: Mature
PAIRINGS: Kuai Liang/Hanzo Hasashi
TAGS: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Enemies to Lovers, Vampire Hanzo Hasashi, Hunter Kuai Liang, Angst, hanzo's in this of course there's angst, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Kuai Liang
@subscorp-week
Chapter 1/?
When a hunt doesn't go as planned, Kuai Liang is forced to reconsider the definition of a monster.
Kuai Liang couldn't remember the last time he'd spent so long tracking during a hunt.
More often than not, finding his quarry was all too easy. Screams and blood, the ravenous sounds of a beast gorging itself on fresh meat—these things announced a vampire's presence gruesomely and violently, with the thoughtless carnage of a senseless animal.
But not this time.
His latest hunt had come straight from the Grandmaster himself.
You've never faced a vampire of this caliber, the Grandmaster had told him, dark eyes narrowed with shrewd assessment. Stronger and far craftier by our scout's reports. But completing this mission will save countless lives. Do not fail us, Kuai Liang.
Missions given directly from the Grandmaster were a class all their own, demanding a level of skill few in their order possessed; Kuai Liang had been honored by this assignment and was determined to achieve success.
Dressed subtly for combat in dark leathers, the blue insignia of his clan the only spot of color to be seen, Kuai Liang had arrived in this latest city that he assumed would be like any other he'd visited before.
He had expected the usual signs to tip him off and point him in the right direction, but there were none to be found. No reports of missing people spirited away in the dead of night. No surges in local healthcare facilities of people with vicious animal bites or records of blood packs disappearing from inventory.
Nothing seemed amiss and after three days of searching, Kuai Liang was tempted to doubt the presence of vampires here at all.
But, no; their scouts were too good for such a mistake, nor would the Grandmaster waste his time with hearsay or rumors. Had he not been warned this hunt would be different? These vampires, better hidden? No, the fault lied with him, that was all. He simply had to look harder.
On the fourth night, Kuai Liang changed his tactics; the obvious tells were clearly not going to help him find his quarry, so he took to the streets. He kept his eyes and ears open and studied his surroundings from the crowds, at packed, busy crosswalks and outside nightclubs, treading countless streets and subway platforms, eyes lingering on any shadowed alley or dark crevice he passed.
His mind could not help but wander during his silent, fruitless search. What manner of creatures were these that they could conceal themselves so well? Had they found some way to hide the signs of their thirst? And if so, how did they acquire the blood they needed without raising any sort of alarm? Had they found some bolthole that kept them hidden from the public eye? That was likely, but stranger still that it had managed to last so long when thirst and madness should have drawn attention to them.
It was well past midnight when Kuai Liang stood alone amongst a sea of strangers, the only still figure as countless people surged around him at a four-way intersection. Bright, garish neon lights glowed from the buildings, choking the light of the moon, and he felt annoyed that these vampires were making his hunt so difficult, were keeping him in this loud, stinking, overbearing city when he could be back among his clan. His narrowed eyes swept over the crowds, cataloging and dismissing dozens of faces by the second, and his frustration only mounted with each passing minute.
Show yourself, he willed. You can not hide forever.
Ironically, it was only when he finally admitted his impatience that he got the sign he wished for.
There was no scream or snarl, nothing so obvious as that, but all at once, Kuai Liang had the sharp, certain feeling he was being watched.
Startled, Kuai Liang stilled—and then he pushed himself past his surprise and fell into the flow of people and crossed the street, glancing around surreptitiously.
No one around, however, seemed to be paying him any mind, nor did he notice any obvious tail.
Strange...
He stepped onto the pavement of the sidewalk and paused, tense and trying to not appear so, waiting for the attack to his back or for a challenge to be issued, and his gaze wandered, narrowed, left, right, up...
Up, up, and there—a figure, dressed in dark clothes, crouched on the roof of a squat building, barely thirty yards from him across a side street.
Their eyes met, and even from a distance, Kuai Liang could see the expression of surprise, dark eyebrows flying high on a pale face, the unnatural stillness of the body perched on the very edge of the flat roof.
Kuai Liang saw the eyes reveal the vampire, the sudden unnatural white glow—one of the most significant tells of their kind, an involuntary one that only occurred in moments of sudden, strong emotion.
All of his annoyance, his impatience and uncertainty and weariness—all of it was banished the moment Kuai Liang clapped eyes on the vampire.
Finally.
The vampire stood—and ran.
Kuai Liang broke into a sprint right; it didn't matter that the vampire had a head start, or was quite the distance away. Kuai Liang had his prey in his sights. This hunt would be over tonight.
He scaled the nearest building in a few bounds and spotted the vampire easily, who took one look behind him and seemed to run faster.
You will not get away.
The chase took them away from the more densely populated areas, which suited Kuai Liang just fine. It gave him more room to maneuver without having to worry about civilians. And when he let loose a knife, embedding it into the wall the vampire was just reaching for as a hand-hold, the vampire's loud, sudden crash to the ground as he flinched and missed his reach wouldn't attract unwanted attention.
Kuai Liang pressed his advantage, pulling out another burst of speed so that he could jump into the alley the vampire had fallen into, jumping between the walls of the narrow passageway so that he landed just a few feet away from where the vampire was pushing himself up.
Up close, the vampire revealed himself to be a man of young age—relatively, by vampire's standards, at least. Mid-twenties, fit, dressed in dark, casual clothes. He had messy black hair and his eyes still glowed that pale, unnerving white as he stared at Kuai Liang.
He seemed anxious, almost scared, and it was the obvious display of emotions on his face that spoke of his youth more than his appearance.
"Um—" the vampire said.
Kuai Liang slipped a hand beneath his coat and slid a thick wooden stake out of his belt.
He attacked.
"Oh shit!"
The vampire dodged into a retreat, barely staying on his feet as Kuai Liang assaulted him relentlessly, knowing the moment would come soon when the vampire would stumble or falter and leave himself open. Kuai Liang only had to be patient.
They ended up in a small inlet where several alleys opened up into a rounded dead-end. It was a good bottleneck position, and Kuai Liang would have suspected a trap if not for how obvious it was this vampire could not focus on anything beyond Kuai Liang's next move.
When the vampire jumped back, taking advantage of the space of his surroundings, Kuai Liang turned the stake in his grip so that it faced upwards. Ice encased it from above his handhold so it formed a long sword while the rest of the stake acted as a hilt.
"Whoa—fuck!" The vampire leapt back again, clutching the long tear in his clothes that Kuai Liang had just ripped across his chest.
He hadn't even struck flesh. Dissatisfied, Kuai Liang attacked again.
That was around the time Kuai Liang finally noticed that the vampire was not fighting back. He'd only been defending from the moment Kuai Liang first struck out, even though his life was on the line.
It didn't make any sense.
Kuai Liang's brows furrowed, his lips pressing together in a tight line.
"Why aren't you fighting?" Kuai Liang demanded with a harsh swipe.
The vampire danced away from the blow, dropping low in a quick sweep of the leg in an attempt to unbalance him.
"I don't want to hurt you," the vampire said, his dark eyes open, and it was so strange, to hear those words from a mouth with fangs.
Surprised, Kuai Liang paused, and the vampire did as well, wary and tense.
Then Kuai Liang understood, and pity washed over him.
He acted quickly, distracting the vampire with a quick spray of ice shards. When the vampire threw himself back and caught himself with one palm flat to the ground, Kuai Liang was ready for him, slicking the ground so that the vampire fell and couldn't orient himself before Kuai Liang thrust a fist in the air; ice encased the vampire's feet and hands, trapping him.
"Fuck," the vampire said.
He was surprisingly lucid for a vampire, still thinking, which meant he couldn't have been turned for very long. It was always sadder, taking down the ones who still thought they could be normal, who hadn't realized exactly what they would become, and while Kuai Liang pitied them, it did not change reality, nor the lives this vampire would take when he lost control. Killing him now was a mercy in more ways than one.
The vampire struggled, pulling at his restraints without success. He stared up at Kuai Liang with wide, terribly young eyes when he stood just beside him.
From behind his back, Kuai Liang pulled another wooden stake from its sheath.
"I will make it quick," he promised, and then he struck, aiming for a deep, single impalement straight through the heart, quick and merciful.
But his stake had barely begun his descent when a force like a boulder slammed into his side in a jarring, brutal crash.
For a brief span of seconds, he lost all contact with the world, weightless, but when he hit the ground in a teeth-rattling slam he was quick to orient himself, to push himself up and braced, ready for an attack even before his brain had stopped colliding with the sides of his skull.
Kuai Liang raised his stake, expecting a follow-up attack while he was still disoriented—but there was none.
Instead, where there once laid one vampire, trapped against ice, now there were two.
The second vampire was older, evidenced only by the fine lines at his eyes, narrowed above a gold mask carved to resemble an oni with its fangs bared. He wore a hood and was covered head to toe in black, yet Kuai Liang recognized him for what he was instantly. There was no hiding that kind of strength, the speed with which he must have moved to strike before Kuai Liang could see or hear him coming.
The sight of two vampires had Kuai Liang getting to his feet quickly, gripping a stake in each hand, but he was largely ignored. Instead of pressing his advantage of surprise, the vampire placed his palms on the ice that bound the younger one at his legs and—melted it with a bright orange light growing from his skin. Flames crept out from between his fingers.
Pyromancer, Kuai Liang thought, equal parts unnerved and intrigued. He'd never met one before, and while the sight was fascinating, he didn't bask in the advantage a latent ability gave his opponent.
"Are you hurt?" the vampire was asking in a deep voice, reaching up to free bound hands, and then he gripped the younger vampire's front by a fistful of cloth and hauled him up like he weighed no more than a feather.
"N-no, I'm okay—"
"Good," the vampire said, and then he was flying at Kuai Liang, his fierce, piercing white glare illuminated by the flames that erupted up his arms and escaped through the teeth of his lacquered mask.
Kuai Liang blocked each attack in the sudden flurry with his arms, reinforcing each block with ice to protect him from the fire, coating his stakes with ice as well so they did not splinter and burn beneath the relentless heat.
This situation was less than ideal, especially given how remarkably sane these vampires were. Soon enough, the young one would join the fight, and then he would be outnumbered. Kuai Liang had faced worse odds, but he had to press every advantage. The sooner he took out this stronger, more powerful vampire, the better.
But that was easier said than done. The younger vampire had shown clear signs of being trained and well, but this one was clearly a master in his form and it took Kuai Liang longer than he wanted to admit to go from defending to actively attacking—this vampire struck just as fast, just as mercilessly as he had, barely leaving Kuai Liang enough time to track his next move, let alone strike true with his stake.
Only his ice seemed to give the vampire any significant pause, so he relied on that more and more, until weapons were ignored entirely in lieu of their bare hands, fire and ice sweeping across the ground and against the walls, bursting out in great surges as one element tried to overpower the another.
The vampire thrust a hand behind him and a great, concentrated fire converged there, a portent of tremendous power and Kuai Liang instinctively did the same, summoning as much ice as he could, thrusting it forward just as the vampire did the same—
The explosion rattled his ears, ice shattering against the pavement, fire singing concrete and billowing into the sky, and they were both forced apart until they crashed against opposite walls. If not for these alleys, keeping them together, they likely would have been sent much, much further.
Panting, Kuai Liang glared across the distance the explosion had driven them apart, body aching, bruises and cuts screaming for attention all over. He met a matching bruised glare from the vampire, whose hood had been blown back by their fight, revealing the long tail of his black hair, brushing the ground as he pushed himself upright as well.
He is a skilled fighter, Kuai Liang admitted. This was not someone he could simply overpower with brute force alone, and even though this person was the enemy, he felt the begrudging stirrings of respect.
Not that it mattered. Kuai Liang always completed his hunts. Always.
They both stood at the same time as if a silent bell had chimed, signaling the continuation of their fight. Kuai Liang let frost crawl up his arms and the vampire mirrored him with flame.
It was unbecoming, but excitement made Kuai Liang's heart race; it had been so long since he'd tested his abilities like this.
He was going to...enjoy this.
Or, he would have, presumably, if not for the sudden crack of sound that echoed in the air, the sharp whistle of wind before he found himself sudden bound in the blink of an eye, deceptively-thin black ropes winding around his torso at least a half-dozen times in the blink of an eye. They squeezed tight, pinning his arms to his sides.
A sharp tug brought him to his knees and he grunted, surprised, and heard a similar sound echo—a look up saw the elder vampire in much the same position, though his glare was aimed at his kin, not his bonds.
"Release me, Takeda!" he barked.
Takeda only frowned, pulling the ropes taut in response to their struggles, so tight Kuai Liang lost his breath.
"Stop fighting!" Takeda ordered, eyes stern on both of them. "Look, I'm fine, you're fine—no harm done, right? Killing each other isn't the answer here."
"You must be joking," Kuai Liang said at the same time the vampire said, "You can not be this naive."
The older vampire glared at Kuai Liang but Takeda was firm.
"We talked about this, remember?" A note of pleading crept into his voice as he spoke. "Please. Can't we just—go?"
Kuai Liang felt as if he were in some bizarre alternate reality—a feeling that was only cemented when the older vampire glared for a few more beats before he grunted in reluctant agreement with a nod, though he was quick to aim a look of immense distaste Kuai Liang's way.
"Should you try to harm him again, I will rip out your throat," the vampire promised.
Before Kuai Liang could respond, Takeda shook him loose, an incredibly strong yank tossing Kuai Liang free a few feet away.
The fall didn't even hurt and he rolled back onto his feet, the ice around his stakes growing to form axes, but he had to retreat further when Hanzo shot flame—not at him, but just before his feet, etching a long dividing line of towering flame where Kuai Liang could just barely make out their silhouettes through the flickering light.
Swiftly, Kuai Liang stowed his weapons behind his back. With a deep breath, he brought his palms close, just shy of touching, and concentrated his ice into a contained maelstrom. One breath, two, and then he thrust his hands out, extinguishing the flames in an extensive spray of ice, so sudden that snow formed in the air and swept out like fog.
It had taken scant seconds to clear this flaming obstacle, but it was time enough.
The vampires were gone.
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kryzinz · 8 months
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@subscorp-week - Day 1: Experimentation
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Kuai Liang has found a love potion somewhere (who knows tbh) and had an idea for his “experimentation.” He goes up to Hanzo and tells him that they should both try it. 😳💕
I will attempt to do all of the prompts because I absolutely love them sm! More is on the way (hopefully on time).
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den-kunn · 8 months
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Day 2: Bitten
TW: le suggestive content
aka fighting on the bed
someone lost a bet.
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@subscorp-week
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gotitagluglu · 8 months
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Subscorp Week!
Day 3: Alternate Universe
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Normal Life🍨
Inspired by the fic "Confectionery" by Offdensen in AO3 nwn
@subscorp-week
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mcbethins · 10 months
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I need a swear jar, not for swears, but for every time I accidentally reblog something to the wrong blog
🥲🥲🥲🥲
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subscorp-week · 8 months
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HO HO HO MERRY SUBSCORP WEEK EVE!
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📢 Hey there, Tumblr fam! Just a quick reminder that tomorrow kicks off the highly anticipated SubScorp Week 2023! 🎉💙💛Get ready for an entire week of celebrating our favorite kombat kouple! Whether you're ready to submit or just excited to indulge, this is your time to shine! 🌟
Here's how it'll work! We'll make a post with a tag for each day (ex. Day 1: Experimentation #day 1 experimentation). Post your work anywhere- here, AO3, YouTube, Twitter, Imgur, wherever! mention us @subscorp-week or reblog the post applicable to the prompt.
We're only a couple of people 🙏🏾 and while we're super excited, subscorp week submissions can be OVERWHELMING 😅 Mod @hey-michael-young-history will be compiling the links to submissions both here and on the Subscorp Week site to make it easier for people to find content!
And we want to remind everyone, if you see content that you like, you love, you feel positive feelings for, don't just heart, rb, or kudos it! Show your love and leave a comment for the creator, if you feel comfortable doing so! This is a community event and no matter if you're a creator or a consumer or both, we're ALL SubScorp fans and we should support each other 🦾
TOMORROW! IT BEGINS!
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