A/N: I know I said that the last Kara AU timeline would be Sacrosanct, but this story idea built itself in my mind, until I simply had to write it down. Poor Hanzo goes through more, than anyone should. He will be nasty here at times. This will be graphic, gritty, feature battles, both mental and physical, bloodshed, so it may be a tough read, just thought I'd warn beforehand. Definite M piece. Based during MKX.

Devour

Free Fall

Hanzo tossed and turned in his bed, sweat poured from his skin as he shook. He wanted to wake up, but something...

No...

Someone was stopping him. He couldn't think, all he could do was watch, and what he was seeing, in his nightmare chilled him, to the core.

This, again?

No, please Gods, no!

He was standing, on a tatami floor, watching his screaming wife, Harumi, cowering in the corner, clutching their son, Satoshi, who's face was bright red, tears streamed down his face.

The screen door opened, and in walked in Sub-Zero, Bi-Han, sword brandished, above his head. A pale hand gripped onto Hanzo's shoulder, and he flinched.

"Scorpion".

Hanzo couldn't move, his body felt like he had lead weights, all over his body.

Quan. Cease this at once.

The sorcerer laughed darkly. He knew the truth, who caused his horrific scene. Himself.

But, of course, Hanzo could not know this. His plan needed to be foolproof, no evidence of his trickery would ever surface.

This pitiful, excuse for a man, would never know, that the very man, who murdered his clan, the love of his life, and his only child, was standing, right behind him.

"Forever reliving this day, how the tables turned, so, very, easily. You should have been there. You SHOULD have saved her". A long, slim grey finger pointed at Harumi, and Hanzo bit back tears.

His voice broke, he trembled, and felt physically sick. "Gods. Sorcerer, stop this. KILL ME!"

Quan lifted up the ninja, cocooning him, in his emerald magic. "And lose such a valuable puppet? I think not".

Hanzo, was now face to face, with his terrified wife. She couldn't see him, all she could see was the leader, of the Lin Quei, advancing towards her. Her beautiful face contorted, into one of extreme fear. Her chocolate eyes were wide, pupils blown, her lip trembled, and her heart felt like it would burst free, from her chest.

Her husband bawled, the tears falling rapidly, down his cheeks, dripping onto the floor, just in front of their feet.

"Harumi? Oh Gods, I'm so sorry". He choked, swallowing pain down, on a parched, sandpaper throat. "My love". He wanted to reach out, hold her, shield her, from what he knew was about to happen. If he had to die, to save her, and his son...

His son.

Satoshi.

His son went deadly quiet, and stared into nothingness. Hanzo needed to let both know, that he was here. Something, anything that would save both.

But, he couldn't. He wasn't there in reality. This was a mere nightmare, and all he could do, was stand there, an unwilling participant, seeing one of the nights, that would change his life, forever.

Quan merely stood, and unbeknownst to the ninja, he could hear all of his thoughts.

"You cannot help her Scorpion. Try all you wish, all it will do is destroy you further, wilt your soul, devour your hope". He walked beside the distraught man, and grinned, which further incensed his victim. His wraith.

"Stop it". Hanzo growled, fire erupted from his hands, and his eyes lit up, a brilliant carnelian.

"STOP IT!"

The sorcerer sneered. "Yes, that's it", he goaded "Give in to it Scorpion. Feel the anger, purge any peaceful thought from your body. You and I both know that peace is a lie". He threw Hanzo against the wall, as Sub-Zero's blade ran Harumi through. Hanzo screamed, and scrunched his eyes up.

The final nail in the coffin however, was the very last thing he heard, before he blacked out, what was happening, far too much to bear.

The last thing he heard, before he shot up, a panting, sweaty mess, in his bed, in the fortress of Shirai Ryu...

...Was Satoshi, his child letting out a single, loud cry.

The Grand-Master woke up, with tear streaks stained his face, and the taste of salt in his mouth, bitter. He felt as though he would vomit, shaky hands rummaged, and bleary eyes searched around, on the small table, by his bed, for the bowl, which would contain cool water, to quench his thirst.

After knocking various trinkets, including a small jeweled hairpin, which he picked back up, and clutched to his chest, he found the bowl.

Cursing his convulsing body, he put the hairpin down, and picked the bowl up, drinking it's contents.

A small, dark part of him wished, that it were alcohol. That would numb him, for a time. But, he would never forget.

Yes, that would be fair, wouldn't it? Fair isn't something I deserve, nor could I ever achieve.

His brain reminded him, and he chuckled bitterly.

After he was done, drinking the water, he dropped the bowl, carelessly, into the floor, and sat up, on his bed.

The sheets were ruined, covered in various forms of his shame, burn marks, tears from frustration...

From times, when his imagination decided to conjure up images, of him, making love to Harumi, which wasn't as often as he had liked.

Whilst no sexual deviant, Hanzo found that, whilst falling in love with her, and agreeing to be celibate, until after their wedding, he struggled.

Then, there were moments, fleeting, from the time, when he first disrobed, and by the Gods, she was perfection personified. Slight curves, a small body, but he did not mind that, eyes that shimmered, with mirth, and love.

Hanzo knew, that this would be the woman, he would grow old with. They would love each other forever, even after death, in the afterlife, they would be together. Of that, he was certain.

But, and he did not believe in fate at the time, but, now, he was beginning to. Fate deviated, casting him away from her, mere months after she had given birth to their son. When Hanzo thought his heart couldn't love any more, than it already did, Satoshi's birth broke a dam within him, and he sobbed, clutching his child to his chest, and kissing his exhausted, but happy wife, as she looked on, lovingly.

Fate decided to throw in another, painful, evil curve ball. Whilst he was training some of his men, in the mountains, miles away from the fortress, chaos descended within it, and it was beyond anything he could comprehend.

When he heard, he forgo sleep and eating, and hurried back to his home.

What he saw, would forever be etched, into his brain.

Despite what Quan had done to him, how many times he was tortured, had his skin flayed, bones crushed, saw his blood, gushing out from his body, covering him, and the floor, in scarlet, been within inches of death...

...None of that compared, to the anguish he felt, in his entire being, at the devastation, the bodies, the blood, rivulets of it, flowing down rocks, stairs.

When one of the surviving men told him, of Harumi and Satoshi's fate, Hanzo fell down, onto the ground, burying his head in his hands, unable to face seeing them, dead.

He should have been there. He was supposed to protect his men, his own family, for God's sake!

Oh how he had failed, not just as a leader, a clansman, a friend...

But as a husband, lover, and a father.

Within hours of arriving back, Hanzo had been informed, by one of the dying men, that it was Sub-Zero, who had done this. The Lin Quei and Shirai Ryu's feuds were well known, and documented, over many a year. But, neither side had ever done something this grievous before. Never.

Hanzo ignored warnings, issued by his remaining men, to stay at the fortress.

He left, destination in mind clear, intent clear too.

Sub-Zero would die, and the Lin Quei would pay dearly, for their mistake...

Later that evening

A shadow, swift, unseen, scaled up the eastern wall, of the Shirai Ryu fortress. Gliding effortlessly, the figure was soon near the top of the wall, peering, curiously, guard raised. Sentry's patrolled regularly, changing men every few hours. The intruder knew this, having watched the clan, for a few months.

The intruder shimmied up, onto a ledge, and scurried quickly, into the darkness. The timing had to be perfect, the target, the clan Grand-Master was mere meters away, so silence was paramount.

No guards had spotted the woman, and part of her wished to smirk. The rest of her wished to weep. If this fortress was so poorly protected, and easy to enter, unopposed, she had to wonder.

I am an enemy, a Lin Quei, and yet, I am here, no one knows. This is shocking.

She stood up, and scanned her surroundings. What she had on her person could alter the future, of both the Shirai Ryu, and the Lin Quei. Sub-Zero was beyond desperate now. Hanzo was ignoring his requests, for a meeting. Sub claimed to have proof that his brother, Bi-Han, did not murder the ninja's clan, or family. The woman had not seen this 'proof', however, she knew her leader wasn't lying about something so grave.

The letter she had, had been written, by the Grand-Master himself, and bore the seal of the Lin Quei. All she had to do was place it, somewhere Hanzo could find.

She knew this was a stupid plan, however, Hanzo had declined so many times, to talks with Sub-Zero, that the cryromancer was frustrated.

This? This was drastic, and she may possibly be killed, for being on private, enemy territory. But, she knew, the benefits outweighed the consequences.

If she could convince Hanzo, to grant Sub-Zero an audience, even if she were slaughtered, she had accomplished a huge feat.

Earthrealm and Outworld's truce, it's strings were wearing thin, and Earthrealm needed all the help it could get.

If the man, who usurped Mileena, Emperor Kotal Kahn attacked now, Earthrealm would surely fall.

The intruder doubted highly, that Hanzo would like that.

He simply had to listen...

Hanzo could not sleep, he did not wish to anymore. He stretched, sighed, and looked at his bedside clock.

11.30 pm.

He got up, and bundled up his bed sheets, placing them in a basket, in the corner of the room. He picked the bowl off the floor, and walked into his bathroom.

A quick shower rid him of his nerves, and after toweling off, he put on a black robe, knelt on the floor, and began to meditate.

A sound on the cobbles, outside of his room alerted keen ears. He wasn't alone, and knew the routes of his men. None would pass right by his room. There was an intruder, and his men had missed it.

Hanzo held his head, groaning, before grabbing his kunai, and stood, leaving his room.

Not tonight...

An envelope lay on the floor, outside his room, but he did not take it. His guard was raised, and he certainly would not do anything, that could make himself vulnerable. He moved silently, whoever this person was, if they made a mistake, he would kill them.

Something moving, blocking out the light, from a lantern, for just a split second alerted him, and he ran in that direction.

The woman knew he had seen her, and cursed, grumbling as she ran, as fast as she could.

But Hanzo was faster, much faster than her.

He growled, and tackled the woman to the ground. He pinned her on her back, and placed his kunai to her throat.

"Who are you?"

The woman blinked, and shifted, until she felt a nick, and a muffled pain came from beneath her mouth mask.

"Speak!"

He ripped off her mask, yanking her head up, as he did so. The woman howled, and seized the chance, to grab the hand, with the kunai in it.

She shook her head, and gestured down with it.

"Pocket".

Scorpion squinted, and looked down at the pocket, in her robe. Her other hand went to it, and only managed to pull up a slither of paper, before she was being choked. The kunai returned to her throat, and the intruder's eyes widened in fear. Her chest moved up and down rapidly, and she begged the man, no to murder her.

She spluttered out words, almost incoherently. But to Hanzo's trained ear, he knew she wasn't trying to pull a fast one.

She was scared of him, and rightly so. With a mere flick of his wrist, her throat would be cut, and she would die, spluttering blood everywhere as she did.

Stop it! STOP!

Hanzo blinked, and removed his weapon from the woman's neck, and wrapped the rope around his wrist. He moved off her, and gestured to this 'letter' she had mentioned.

Kara's face went ashen, and she felt sick. She knew the man was powerful, but, the way he flung her to the floor, and had her, completely at his mercy within milliseconds terrified her.

Shaky hands went into her dark brown robe pocket, and she pulled out the letter, showing it, blue Dragon seal side up.

Hanzo's nostrils flared, and he quirked an eyebrow.

"Is that what I think it is? And are". He knelt back down, and snarled, "You from where I think you are?"

Kara nodded her head twice, and shifted away from him. His anger radiated off him, in waves, and her telepathy was telling her that the way this was going, if he didn't murder her on the spot, he would do so...

...Later.

Pleading wasn't in her nature, but, the situation she was in now? She was prey, and Hanzo was a hungry predator, who wanted blood.

"Please don't, please! I beg you. I'm not here, to piss you off! I know that is what it looks like, but", she stumbled over her words.

Fuck.

Oh by the fucking Netherrealm, the man won't listen!

"I KNEW this would be a bad idea, I fucking told him it would".

Hanzo snatched the letter from her hand, and hissed.

"Remember your place, whom you are speaking too, and hold your tongue, girl".

He sneered, and Kara flinched.

"I'm sorry, Master Hasashi, please excuse my language".

He seemed satisfied with that. He opened the letter, and read through it, thoroughly.

It was short, and to the point.

Hanzo smirked, and chuckled.

Much like the man himself.

Kara got onto her knees, and bent backwards, hearing her spine click.

So did Hanzo, apparently. "So, you are a Lin Quei, who was caught. Sub-Zero is, lacking in training you, I see".

He put much emphasis on lacking, and Kara shrugged.

"A little Master. Much is happening on Earthrealm though, we are on the brink of war with Outworld. Their citizens flee here, in search of safety. They starve, struggle every day of their lives, and yet, Emperor Kotal Kahn seems not to care".

Hanzo bristled at that. War? Was that even possible? Would either realm be ready for that? He doubted that highly.

"War, and you are asking my help? I think not".

Kara rolled her eyes. Stubborn bravery kicked in. If she was going to die tonight, it wouldn't be cowering, in the corner, a trembling mess of a woman.

"Master, please. Can you even hear yourself? Do you still believe, that Bi-Han murdered your family and clan? How will you ever know the truth, if you keep on denying Sub-Zero an audience? I implore you. Please let him speak with you, that is all I ask. I would not be here, on foreign soil, somewhere where I may well lose my life if this wasn't as serious as it is!"

Her eyes stung, and she closed them, looking away from the clan master.

Hanzo hauled her up suddenly, and summoned some men, who were shocked, baffled that someone had gotten past them.

Kara couldn't resist a dig though, as she was taken off, to a cell.

"You need more guards Master Hasashi. Fifteen isn't enough, clearly".

She smirked at him, and he turned on his heel, and reentered his room.

Hanzo paced in his room, livid with this woman, this impudent little thing.

Fifteen men? How could she know?

Unless, she'd been watching the clan, for some time, knew their routines.

Knew, when to strike.

He roared, fire swirling around him, before he caught himself, and stopped it.

Scorpion was still in there, the wraith that did awful things. The puppet, on ever tightening strings, being made to dance about, for his 'creator's' amusement.

The letter in his hand was now ash, and as he exhaled, it blew off his hand, and onto the floor. He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and headed outside, towards the cells...

Kara sat, on a cold thin mattress, rubbing her hands together. She wrapped her arms around her knees. It was freezing cold, even more so than usual. Her tattered brown robe wasn't doing much, to keep out the chill.

Men standing to attention brought her out of her misery laden mood, and she looked at the door, to see Hanzo, standing there.

He had the key to the cell, but simply waved it, taunting her. Little did he know, that she could take that key, telekinesis was useful like that.

But, she wouldn't. He was angry enough, and she didn't want to incur the 'infamous wrath of Scorpion'. She could do without being burnt to cynical ash.

"I will ask again, last chance. Who are you?"

Hazel eyes met medium brown, and she stood up, to bow in respect.

"I am Kara Amakura, Master Hasashi. I joined the Lin Quei thirteen years ago. My father is General Jin Amakura, my mother is the goddess Tiama".

Hanzo shook his head in disbelief. "A goddess? Than why did you not stop me? You would be powerful enough to".

Kara fought back a grin. "Wouldn't have looked good, if I kicked your ass, on your own ground, would it, Master Hasashi?"

She said his name teasingly, which earned her a fowl stare, and the man's voice grew even gruffer.

"I said watch your tongue".

Like an annoying fly, he wanted to swat her, make her see sense...

However, in doing so, at some point Sub-Zero would find out, her clan would, and he would have a war himself. So, he could not do this.

It also frightened him a little, to think of such violence. He wasn't one for maiming people, destroying them, bit by bit.

Quan Chi did that to him, whittled away at him, until he was nothing more, than a soulless, violent shell, of his former self.

A wraith, incapable of anything other than destruction.

Hanzo looked back at the young woman, his face not giving anything away.

"Kara, I will meet with Sub-Zero tomorrow. If the situation is indeed as bad as you say, and he is speaking the truth, than I shall free you. If not?"

He moved even closer, and Kara shrank back. The look in his eyes, it was pure, seething hatred.

Though, it had her wondering. Was it really Sub-Zero that he hated? Or was it himself?

Kara forced herself to look at the master, putting two and two together.

"If not, than I die. Of course, Master Hasashi".

He nodded, and walked away.

But, he heard her voice, in his mind, and stopped, dead in his tracks.

He isn't lying, I just know it...