I open my eyes as I lie next to Smoke. His arm is wrapped around me and our bodies are hidden underneath the sheets. The morning sun shines on the realm much dimmer today, and clouds cover the sky. I turn and steal a glance of Smoke. I place a hand on his smooth face and caress it lightly, being sure to not wake him. Strange thinking how an enemy has become my future.

I exit the sheets, exposing my body. I stand, stretch and proceed to my wardrobe, opening it. I grab a random set of gear and dress myself. It is two pieces, magenta, and resembles the gear I wore yesterday. I slip on a different mask and finger-less gloves. I turn to Smoke again who is still asleep. His eyes are shut and he breathes at a steady pace. I smile at this. I should address the Thunder God, but I want Smoke to be there with me once I do so. To my surprise, the cottage door flings open and I instantly turn, seeing Li Mei standing in my door way. Her eyes land on me, then to Smoke, then to our torn clothes on the floor. She lets out a gasp and covers her mouth, looking as if she is trying to hold back a laugh.

"By the Gods..." her voice is somewhat muffled by her hand.

I glance at Smoke, making sure he is still asleep and then turn my attention to Li Mei, leading her out of the cottage and shutting the door quietly.

"It is exactly what it appears to be, but listen," I say as she giggles.

The forest appears much more mysterious and darker than the past days I have spent here. The clouds seem to get darker and darker by each minute.

"I have decided to join the Earthrealm forces," I say in a low voice.

She lets out another gasp, this one louder than the first.

"I am absent for the night and you hit me with something like this?" she inquires in shock. She has a point however.

"Yes, but first I must address the Thunder God before he leaves to the tower with his forces," I say.

"Then, I shall accompany you," she replies.

"There is more," I add.

"Oh, what is it?"

"I murdered Rain. I also discovered that I am merely a clone of Kitana crossed with Tarkatan essence. I am her...duplicate..." I admit.

Li Mei faces me with worry and steps closer, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I see...that is why you are abandoning the will of the emperor. But, if she is joining Earthrealm, and you are joining Earthrealm...that means..."

I peer upward at Li Mei.

"I...must make amends. All of this conflict...I now see it is not her fault, it is the emperor's. Do you know of her current location?" I question.

"Yes, she resides in a cottage near mine, I can show you the way if you would like," she offers.

It takes me a moment to consider the offer. Am I truly ready to make amends with my lifetime rival? The whole point of me going on with this tournament was to turn Shao Kahn against her and then end her life. Though, he has proved to be much more deceitful. I no longer feel indebted to him in any way. Well, it is never too late for a change; I was created from her blood after all.

"Alright, let us be on our way."

She gives me a smile before taking off to the left. I follow and keep up the pace. The clouds get darker and darker, causing the forests' trees and grass to adopt a darker, deeper green in color. We tread into the tall tree area as the birds chirp, yet slightly quieter and much less than usual.

"Do you know what you plan on saying to her?" Li Mei asks.

"Not exactly, but I shall think of something."

"I wonder if Shao Kahn has discovered Rain's death; he is one of his best generals. Well, was," she replies.

"When he does, he will know it was me, which is why this is something I must do."

We come to the small waterfall that overlooks the pond I had last seen Kitana at. As we cross by the hill and slightly pass by the water I pause. The sound of a small twig snapping about five feet away from me catches my ear. A familiar scent fills the air as well. My instincts take over and Li Mei who is a few feet ahead pauses also. She faces me with a cautious expression.

"Did you hear that?" I question.

"Yes, I did..." she scans the area with me.

I look left, and then upward just in case. Yet, I see nothing. A strange feeling of nostalgia comes over me.

Smoke turns his head quickly, breaking our eye contact, looking first left, then right.

"What is it?" I question uncertain of what he is analyzing.

"We may have walked too far..." he whispers, standing perfectly straight, peering everywhere into the forest.

"What do-"

"Shh," he interrupts, still searching through every tree, leaf, and branch with his eyes.

I join him in searching for what might be the disturbance. He walks forward a few steps slowly, somewhat drowning out the noise of his movements. His eyes focus on something I cannot see. I keep up with him, standing at his side, ready for anything. I hear a stick crack behind us and turn quickly.

I come back to reality and peer to our left as Kitana emerges from the woods. It seems as if she chooses this spot to spend her leisure near often. She is wearing a one piece blue battle getup with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her boots are knee high with her weapons sheathed on her lower legs. She does not look very happy to lay eyes on me, though I can now understand why.

"Kitana," I say as she approaches. Her name almost sounds foreign coming from my lips without spite laced in my voice. "We have unfinished business," I continue.

"Yes, it appears we do," she says, unsheathing a fan quickly and aiming to strike me.

I pace backwards avoiding it, confused. Li Mei tries to advance to her, but I hold my arm out, stopping her.

"Li Mei, go," I speak, making my voice clear.

"Sister!—"

"Go," I repeat myself more sternly, and she retreats back the way we came.

She obviously took what I meant by unfinished business too literally.

"You waste your time, Kitana. I am not here to—"

"Forget about explaining yourself. Do not fail to recall who grew up alongside you, I know of your deceitful ways," she utters coldly.

"If you know me so well, then you should know that I am joining Earthrealm," I remain calm.

"Absurdity, you fight only for yourself, you are a danger to every realm. Therefore, you must die," she charges at me, swinging her fan horizontally.

I duck her assault and bring a charged open palm to her abdomen. I reach for my sais but I do not feel them. Damn me, I never retrieved them from the kombat building. She unsheathes her other fan, swinging one vertically that I pace to dodge. I deliver a kick to her chest and proceed to swiftly jump onto her shoulders, flipping her into the pond with my legs. She drops a fan, and I dash for it before she stands, succeeding. She stands and her battle attire is now soaked from the pond. She aims her sapphire fan at me, and then advances. Kitana strikes and I counter. Blue sparks emerge from the fans as they collide. She gives me a kick, and then grabs my arm, throwing me into the pond's waters.

I stand quickly as she throws her fan in a horizontal motion. I move out of the way just in time, but it manages to graze my left arm just before it gets stuck in a nearby rock. I throw the other blade vertically, but she jumps over it and gives me a kick to the lower jaw. I stumble backwards a moment. Kitana takes the opportunity in attempts to strike again. However, I use my leg to sweep her feet off the ground. I pace backwards and go into my stance; for I am here to convince her we are on the same side, not to murder her, as strange as that sounds coming from me. Kitana stands with slight anger in her eyes, and then leaps into the air. I vanish with magenta trails following me, meeting her in the sky with a kick to her upper jaw.

She lands back in the water, placing her hand to her face. I peer downward at her. Kitana manages to get back on her feet however, and spins swiftly, vanishing in a mist of blue. She reappears behind me just as I turn around, bringing a fist to my face. As I stumble, she grabs my arm, twists it and then brings her foot to my cranium swiftly. She twists my arm further, threatening to break it just before she tosses me to a nearby rock, making me crash into it directly.

~Li Mei POV~

I dash away from the conflict, retracing the way we came through the forest. I must find the Thunder God. I pass through the trees swiftly, crushing the grass and pebbles beneath my feet. I hear the sound of air blowing around me harshly. However, another sound catches my air. Without pausing my running, I turn to see a blade projectile with a purple glow, almost exceeding my speed. I pause and duck as it travels over me, taking a strand of my hair with it. I turn around to see no one in sight. I become cautious as I hear the noise approaching again, making me turn around swiftly. It comes back, but even faster, spinning as it advances. I avoid it by rolling to the right quickly. I follow the three edged blade, watching it return to its handler. Jade.

"What was the purpose of that? You have no quarrel with me!" I shout making sure she hears every word.

"You assist Mileena, yet she is just deceiving you," her voice stays clear of any emotion.

"She is not; it is you and Kitana who are deceived of her true intentions!"

I see Jade get into her fighting stance, gripping her glaive. Another is sheathed on her hip.

"You are a fool, she wants the realms under her control. She has allies in both realms that she knows she can persuade into doing her biding. I along with Kitana have known this for quite some time, and now we strike."

She charges at me, swinging her glaive. I pace to the right dodging it, and give her three swift kicks to her chest. She catches my leg the third time, and then delivers a fist to my chin just before throwing me to the ground. I stand, and open my palm. A white, blue tinted energy sphere forms, traveling to Jade swiftly and injuring her. She grunts and stumbles as I leap into the air. I flip frontwards as the same energy engulfs my feet, allowing me to land two kicks to her head proficiently.

She kneels as I land my feet in front of her. I attempt to strike her with my right hand and she catches my fist. She uses her momentum to latch onto my throat with her other hand. Jade proceeds to choke me and I feel the air slowly leaves my lungs. I knee her twice in the waist in retaliation, causing her to lose her grip and fall back. I aim to attack her again, aiming my fist for her as she aims her glaive my way, throwing it too fast for me to dodge. It impales my shoulder and pins me to the bark of a nearby tree as I grunt in pain. I try and remove it as Jade comes face to face with me. She takes her staff from behind her, and aims it linear at me.

"Do not worry, she will not deceive you any longer," she says just before striking me with her staff, and everything goes dark.

~Mileena POV~

Kitana accesses the fan that was stuck in the rock and advances to me. She raises it into the air while spinning it, conjuring wind to lift me off of my feet with blue winds. I struggle to shift my weight, doing anything I can to escape the elevation as she leaps into the air, meeting me with her fan. She slices my chest and kicks me down to the ground, landing on her feet.

Kitana stands over me with her fan raised in the air ready to strike. I trip her and get to my feet again. I aim to attack until I sense something approaching me from behind. I pace to the left and turn around. A swift blade spins in the air as Kitana stands and catches it. She tosses it back the way it came. I turn to see Jade, catching it in her hands. I fall into my stance, prepared for anything, shifting my attention between the two evenly.

"So you would go the extra mile to defeat me? Should I feel honored?" I mock.

"You are a threat, and if not stopped now you will someday become like the emperor," Jade inputs, drawing her staff.

"A threat? I am no longer aiding the emperor, both of your efforts are pointless," I keep a sharp eye out for both.

I feel blood dripping from my upper chest, but I ignore it. I should have gotten my blasted sais last night. However, I have no choice. I must hold out against the two.

"Lies; you will not leave this forest alive!" Jade says, approaching me quickly.

Jade swings her staff as Kitana throws her fan. I catch the staff in time to deflect Kitana's attack and crash my forehead into Jade's. Kitana runs to me, bringing a fist to my upper jaw, followed by a swift kick to my back from Jade.

~Li Mei POV~

My eyes open as a sharp pain shoots through my arm. I peer downward to find my shoulder still impaled with Jade's blade. I attempt to touch it, but the pain becomes even worse. I analyze my surroundings and notice the darkness of the forest became deeper. I feel a speck of water land on my leg. I turn to the sky to see it completely covered in clouds.

Mileena. I grip the blade, attempting to ignore as it slices my palm. I wince from the pain, and begin to pull. I feel the blood escaping me and the cracking of my collar bone taking effect. More water particles fall against my skin and I pull harder as the blade cuts into my palm and fingers. Waters then fully pour from the sky as a storm begins brewing from the clouds. The rain makes my palm become moist, making removing the blade more difficult. I notice some progress when the blade slips out of the bark, allowing me to freely be able to move. I drop to my knees and the blood begins flowing from my hand as well as from my shoulder.

"Ah!" I scream as the blade slowly escapes my skin.

Half of the blade comes loose, slipping through my shoulder and grinding against my bones. I pause and then breathe. I face the sky as the cool water hits my face, relaxing me. One, two, three. I pull my hardest, and the blade exits my skin in excruciating pain. Another scream escapes my lips momentarily as I sit on the grassy plain. I breathe heavily and keep the blade in my hand as I stand. I resume running back the way I came, however I do not know of the Thunder God's current location. I must find Smoke, he will know. I come to my sister's cottage and kick open the door quickly.

"Smoke!" I shout, but he is not here.

I run out instantly, going to the beach. I can still feel the blood pouring from my shoulder, though I do my best to ignore it. I arrive on the sandy surface, yet no one is around oddly. I run to the other side where the kombat building is located. I see Sub-Zero walking with Smoke out of the forest, headed toward the kombat building. They are a good twenty feet away from me. There he is.

"Smoke!" I shout, placing a hand on my shoulder and advancing to him with the blade still in my grasp.

I see them both turn in my direction. He wastes no time in running towards me along with Sub-Zero. They come closer and both of their eyes show confusion on what has just occurred.

"Li Mei, what happened to you?!" Smoke shouts in panic.

"Never mind me, I must locate the Thunder God. Mileena is in trouble!"

"What sort of trouble?" Smoke questions.

"Kitana attacked her! She believes Mileena is deceiving us all just to claim both realms for herself," I explain quickly.

His fists clench and his expression hardens.

"Where is she?"

~Mileena POV~

I duck Jade's staff and roll quickly, knocking her off her feet and onto the forest ground. I turn to meet Kitana with a fist to her eye, causing her to stumble. I grab her head and slam it into a nearby rock, making her groan. She lies there a moment as her blood spills onto the rock. It is then slowly washed away by the pouring rain. Jade kicks my calf, causing me drop onto one knee as she brings her staff to my throat, choking me against her own body. It begins to glow in a shade of violet as she tightens her grip. I claw at her, but she does not falter. I struggle for air as rain drops fall, hitting everything in sight.

"Kitana, now!" she shouts.

Kitana stands, closing her fan and advances to me. I struggle against Jade as Kitana approaches. She draws back her fan, and then punctures my abdomen. I let out a gasp as one of my hands travel to her blade slowly. She begins to twist it while peering into my eyes. A weak groan escapes me as she withdraws her weapon, but only to plunge it deep into my chest. I gasp even louder and let out a groan as I feel my body beginning to fall limp.

I feel her blade pierce through my heart and rib cage. I lose all of my strength as Jade keeps me steady, allowing Kitana to finish me. My mouth fills with blood as I stare at Kitana with wide eyes. However, she says nothing, she just gives me a cold glance as if she has been planning to do this for a long time. Maybe if I never became allies with mortals and if I did not attend this tournament, it would be me finishing her.

"Mileena!" I hear and turn to my left slowly with my eyes somewhat narrowing.

Smoke stands there with a horrid facial expression just before taking off into full speed after me. Jade removes her staff from around my neck and Kitana retrieves her blade from my chest. Blood pours from my torso as I fall to the ground on my back, becoming numb throughout my entire body. I peer upward to see Smoke battling Kitana and Jade. My blood slowly travels down from my body onto the terrain as the rain strikes me softly. My vision and awareness of reality phase in and out as I see Smoke battle Kitana. What feels like a moment later, Kitana hits the ground next to me along with Jade. Jade places a hand on her swiftly, and they vanish into a green mist. My eyes manage to open a bit wider as Smoke dashes to me. He kneels and lifts my head gently.

"Mileena, no..." he mutters as his eyes travel to each of my injuries with a painful expression on his face.

He assists me in removing my mask, putting my breathing at slight ease. I now feel the blood rush to my mouth. I let out a cough, which causes some of the blood to run down the side of my face. Smoke's eyes widen at this as the rain pours down fiercer, engulfing us both in water.

"Smoke...I am so glad to see that at least you stuck by me through this...pointless crusade..." I become stiff, no longer able to freely move.

I just peer upward at Smoke, seeing a tear form in his eye. I know it is over now. I have been defeated. I use all my energy to bring a hand to his face.

"Do not be disturbed...I see now this was bound to happen..." I mutter.

"No, you must live on," his voice is raspy, and a tear flows down his cheek from his left eye.

I weakly smile upward at him as he holds onto me. I know that he knows I will not survive this. However, I am glad that I have the honor of losing my life in his presence. My eyes start to narrow and most of my energy now drains from me.

"Tell Li Mei to stay in Earthrealm... I know she will be happy with Kung Lao..."

"Mileena no, just breathe slowly, Raiden is on his way with her now, but you must stay alive so he can heal you," his voice rings of so much determination that it puts my mind at ease.

I cannot manage a reply to him; I just stare at his soft face with a smile knowing this will be the last time I will lay eyes on him. I feel it...and I accept it. My eyes shut slightly. He shakes me gently, making them open wider.

"Remember when we bet on a favor, Mileena?"

"Fine, you are the victor!" I say joyfully, giving in.

He does a small cheer then laughs.

"Now what is that favor?" I ask hurriedly.

"Oh you will find out eventually," Smoke says with a sly smile.

"You cannot just hold it against me forever, you have to use it tonight," I jokingly command him.

"We shall see," he says, knowing he probably really would use it to his advantage eventually.

It comes back to me.

"Yes," I say weakly with a smile still on my face.

"Well, the favor is, I need you to hold on, do not give up on me please," he begs me, not taking his eyes off of me even for a moment. "You and Sub-Zero are all I have left," he confesses painfully.

I take one good last glimpse at Smoke. I was absurd to think I could live like a mortal. I did not exist as my own being from the day I was created; no amount of allies could have changed that. I was always an entity, a shadow of Kitana. My eyes close and I lose all control of my body. There is nothing I can do now.

"Mileena! Mileena!" his voice becomes faint, like a dream.

His hands try and shake me awake, but I cannot react. I wish I could tell him that I am sorry. I wish I could have fought this.

"Please, Elder Gods please do not put me through this now..." I hear him plead over his cries. "Please no...you said you would never leave me..." I hear him say faintly.

I feel Smoke lean his head onto me, as well as a single tear hit my chest.

"I love you..." is the last thing I hear from him as everything becomes black and non-existent.

The feeling of him with me, now mostly gone. One last thought creeps into my mind that I wish I could speak to him before I perish.

I love you too...