A Brothers' Quarrel

(A/N) I haven't done full fledged fiction in a while, so spare me,, There may be OOC, as again it's been a while.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Kombat. Kinda wish I did though, it'd be pretty damn cool.

His head was absolutely pounding. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. Not to mention that it made it difficult to focus. And that's not good, considering the fact that he's the God of Thunder and Protector of Earthrealm. Surely it would pass, and he's just imagining it. It's all in his head. And as usual, he stood at the window and admired the rising sun. It was a morning habit and it was a lovely sight. And behind him doing who knows what (probably cleaning) was his elder brother Fujin. He always was a bit of a neat freak. And that's not an awful thing; visitors to the Sky Temple often comment that it's very well kept. And of course Raiden had to give credit to Fujin, who was responsible for the vast majority of it and dismissed him when he attempted to assist. And Fujin always had a way of sensing if things were off. He'd be damned if he thought he could slip this past him.

A steaming hot cup of tea was passed to him as the elder walked by. When did he – it didn't matter.

"We are gods, we do not need-"

Fujin raised a hand to cut him off.

"Enough, brother. I heard this helps mortals. Besides, it is not going to kill you."

The worst part is that he's right.

"I always thought you were the kind to stick to rules and regulations."

He replied, sounding somewhat surprised that he was being so insistent. His sibling answered him with crossing his arms and taking a firm stance.

"Are there any in regards to caring for my brother? Point them out to me."

He's right yet again. He just can't win petty arguments with him. He can disregard him, though, and then get a scolding and a good 'I told you so'. But he cares and that's what matters. And now that he thought about it, he makes this all the time for his guests but he's never actually tasted it. It's a little strange. He turned to go outside and was promptly met with Fujin standing there, blocking his path.

"Are you going to stand there until I do it?"

"I am. So drink it."

Oh, now he's getting parental. That's not the Fujin that he wants to pick an argument with. He only wants the best for him and he always has. Even though he didn't care for mortals, he assisted them when necessary only for Raiden, which is something he's secretly very happy about. He can't take care of Earthrealm alone and they both practically live here. So, it's watch his second home burn and listen to Raiden be upset for elder gods know how long or avoid that and help him. And clearly he chose the latter because here they are.

The moment Raiden tried to raise his arm to teleport away, his brother's hand shot out and put it back by his side. Okay, that's not going to fly.

"Why are you being stubborn, Raiden? Drink the tea and get it over with."

The wind god moaned, motioning to the drink in his brother's hand.

"You are worrying over nothing, that is why."

That came off a little harsher than the thunder god intended, as he couldn't help but note that his voice raised more than intended.

"I would hardly call my brother nothing."

Fujin raised his own voice to answer that, his tone changing to note offense and being slightly upset with him.

This is the stupidest argument he's ever had. He's upset, Fujin's upset, and this is all over the fact that he won't drink the damn tea. And is it just him or is his elder brother getting a little red in the face. Which means he's angry, and that's never a good thing.

"Raiden. All I want is to help you and you are being a stubborn child! I want you to do one thing. That is it. Just one."

His voice sounded calm and level, but that's the calm before the storm. And if he didn't word this properly, he was going to start one hell of a storm.

"Fujin. I understand that, I just fail to see why it is necessary. I think I just need to take time to myself and calm down. I think you should, too. You worry over nothing, but I-"

Fujin left in a huff before he could finish his sentence. And he called him impulsive.

"Fujin? Please wait."

Raiden called after him and hurried to catch up. He didn't teleport away, so clearly he wanted him to follow. Unlike Raiden himself, but Fujin knew him too well and didn't have to do a whole lot of guessing to find him.

Fujin slowed his pace, but kept walking.

"I'm not waiting for you. I'm going to follow your advice, which means with you not around. So go, meet with your warriors or do whatever pleases you. I care not what you do."

Again, he seemed calm, but Raiden knew him well enough to know that he's both lying and upset.

"I have never known you to be a liar. You care a lot, more than I could ever comprehend. I did not mean to upset you so."

The wind god finally stopped and turned to him. His expression had changed from being straightlaced and hardened with anger to being more relaxed, which slightly took his younger brother by surprise.

"I know, but you do things like this constantly. You listen to your emotions over reason, and I am afraid that it will get you one day. And I think you owe me something."

What? Owe him something? It took Raiden a minute to figure out what he meant. Again, his head was pounding.

"I am sorry, brother."

Raiden sighed, sincerely feeling bad about starting this stupid argument in the first place.

"That is what I want to hear. You are forgiven. The Jinsei Chamber will make you feel better. But if you are not going to drink that tea, I will."

Wait, is he the reason that the pot is always empty after guests leave? They never drink an entire pot's worth (unless there's more than three guests) and he has never touched it.

"Are you the one who drinks the leftover tea?"

"Perhaps."

"I have never known you to do such things."

"Well, you are away, and I am here, I might as well. It will not kill you just as it has not killed me."

Well if Fujin has done it and nothing happened to him, then he'll be fine, right? And as his brother watched, he finally put the cup to his lips and drank from it. And the results were . . .

"I was expecting more flavor."