A/N: Originally wrote this as a chapter for my Krypt Smashing story on AO3, but I really loved the story portion of it so I stripped it down to make it more FF-friendly. So if it reads familiar, that's why.

It had been two weeks now since Kitana returned from visiting Goro's Lair.

Jade had initially offered to go with the woman to provide support, but Kitana insisted otherwise. She didn't want to make a deal of the visit and was only going to stay long enough to drop off the burial arrangement Queen Sheeva had gifted to her.

Despite her own words, Kitana expressed mild curiosity in wanting to know what still remained in the abandoned lair- especially considering that it had been a century or two since either of them had even thought about the island.

Shang Tsung had been an avid collector of more than just souls.

And the former Sorcerer was not without spoiling his Champion in the same riches.

So there was no telling just how expansive Shang Tsung's or Goro's wealth had become before their untimely demises.

Jade wasn't out looking for their wealth though.

She was more curious about the prospect of old Outworld artifacts that might've been stashed away on the once heavily-guarded island- or maybe even some Edenian ones. Anything that she could bring home was worth looking for.

Kitana did agree that searching the lair was a good idea, but denied going to check it out for herself.

The Princess even expressed a sense of reluctance in going along with her.

Jade assured her that she didn't need the extra hands, and that she was well-equipped to handle the task on her own anyways.

And of course, what Kitana didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

While she was more than capable of handling things on her own, Jade wasn't above asking for a little company either. Having an extra person around would make exploring an underground, abandoned labyrinth a little less paranoia-inducing- and maybe even make it a little fun.

She dropped a remark about exploring the old island the next time she was on business visiting Earthrealm, proposing the idea as more of a toss-away thought- acting as though she was still thinking it over. It came across more like she was baiting the waters for a bite, but still- Jade figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

And surprisingly enough, Kung Lao offered to go with her the moment she brought up that she would be exploring the island alone.

[Well, maybe not so surprisingly.]

[Hook, line, and sinker.]

"So Kitana told me about a funny little thing she found when she was here before," Jade spoke, breaking the silence between them as the two of them walked through the carved halls of the now-ancient lair. She did her best to avoid the low-hanging rocks and strung up skulls that seemed to decorate every hall they walked through- and she used her staff to knock aside the occasional spider web that threaten to touch her.

The boat ride to get to the island had been mostly quiet with a few light conversations spoken between them. And even then, their topics ranged from the cruddy weather to her unearthed sailing and navigational skills.

Jade supposed the elephant in the room was still too much for either of them to handle.

It wasn't often that the two of them crossed paths, let alone found themselves alone together- especially considering how much time she spent in Edenia most days, and how difficult it was to track him down in Earthrealm. Which made his offer of joining her seem more and more off-handed.

[As though she hadn't made the proposition in false hopes that Kung Lao would jump at the offer.]

But despite their lack of conversation, their lack of catching up, they were completely isolated here and she still felt comfortable in his presence.

"Yeah? Was it sitting on the throne back there?"

Jade clicked her tongue at him and lightly elbowed him in the ribs, hearing him laugh quietly to himself at his own joke now.

And she supposed she did walk the both of them into that one.

How quickly she had forgotten about the rivalry between him and Goro. It made her wonder then just why he wanted to be here in the first place. Perhaps it was to revile in the fact that he was alive again and had officially outlived his only opponent- which was both true and false in the same statement.

And how odd it was that she found herself stuck between two extremes in regards to someone's relationship with Goro.

Kitana had been a friend, an ally.

And Kung Lao, a rival.

"She said she found one of your hats here- or at least a copycat of one," Jade continued. "She thought someone might've tricked the Kollector into buying it."

When Kung Lao laughed again, it was a little louder and harder than the first.

"Oh yeah- no, that was me," Kung Lao admitted. "He wouldn't leave me alone about my hat, so I made a fake one to get him off my back- and it worked."

He laughed again, still clearly amused by his own scheme- and Jade had to admit that she found herself chuckling along with him.

Laughing still felt like a new expression, a new reaction to her given the years spent without it.

She had forgotten just how contagious it could be.

Or how delightful it was to hear someone else do it.

"I tell you, six arms and no brain on that one."

"Better than two arms, a hat, and no brain," she retorted.

"It's called fashion, Jade," he replied just as quickly. "Speaking of, you got a new look yourself."

Jade brushed a hand against the burgundy and green tunic that split and hung in four pieces from her waist, cut at the front and back of her thighs. It was a bit of a downgrade to what she had once worn before, with the only pieces of armor being her gauntlets and the thin plates at her shoulders. But the freely hanging fabric around her legs allowed her to move with ease- and created a bit of a breeze when she ran, which was an added bonus.

The cross-section of green fabric across her chest was the most extravagant part of the outfit, which suited her just fine.

She wasn't looking to make herself stand out; in fact, she wanted the complete opposite.

And with this ensemble, she could blend and disappear into an Outworld crowd with ease.

An Edenian one, not so much.

The added hood to her outfit protected her head and face from the Outworld sun, as well as kept her hair from getting in her way. And with how disarrayed the former lair had gotten, she was glad to have something covering her head- least some kind of crawling creep try to make a nest in her hair.

"I figured it was time for something new," Jade remarked, glancing to him briefly before she continued to navigate their way through the winding tunnel. "I'm an Edenian with an Outworld sense of fashion; it's a bit difficult to find a balance between the two."

"You look like a mercenary," Kung Lao commented- and she could tell by the bemused look on his face that it was meant as a compliment.

"I was aiming for Assassin, but I'll take it," she mused, before she looked to him once more- eyeing him down for a moment. "You look new yourself."

He was wearing a tunic of red and blue, with silver linings and accents that added a certain flair to his look. The tunic slipped over his shoulders in more of a poncho-style than traditional, leaving a great portion of his broad shoulders and chest exposed. The front of it cut down the middle of his chest, almost down to his ribs- and had it not been for the sleeveless, black shirt he wore underneath it, it would've made for a more alluring look.

It was an unique style, one that he had perfect for himself over the years; anyone could identify him by the look alone.

There were two belts wrapped around his waist that kept the layered tunic strapped to him, keeping it from flowing from too much movement; which given his inability to sit still, and his ability to teleport, the belts were needed.

It was a rather exposing uniform given his situation, seeing as he did little to hide the white scars that took place of where his Revenant skin carvings had once been. Knotted and visible against his healthier skin, the scars would've been a conversation piece for anyone who didn't know where they came from.

[She could even see a few scars left behind by her own armored nails.]

[And those didn't need to be a conversation piece for anyone but them.]

Jade could still remember the feeling of surprise she felt when she saw him for the first time since the Jinsei incident; her first time seeing him as a non-Revenant in over two decades. It had been a year then after the ordeal went down, after they had all been exorcised of the dark energy controlling them.

She was visiting the Jinsei Temple to speak with Raiden, and Kung Lao had come out to greet her- not knowing that she was Raiden's guest.

And despite everything that had happened, he looked good.

His skin had regained its subtle bronze color again, a stark-contrast to the gray and decayed look from before.

He had even grown his hair out as well, now able to fit it into a ponytail again- abet much shorter than it had been earlier.

And while his eyes would never be the same as they were before, Jade had sensed a new look of life in them.

Twenty-five years frozen in the Netherrealm had given him this eerie, sort of frozen look of youth. He was technically in his fifties now, and yet hardly looked a week past his Tournament-era days.

And now, a year after that moment, he continued to look good- better even.

"I know what I look good in," Kung Lao remarked, grinning now as he caught her eye.

Some things never change though.

"Even with that stupid thing on your head?" Jade questioned.

"It's called my hat- and it's not stupid."

She laughed and elbowed him again. "I was talking about the other thing," she elaborated.

"Oh, this thing?" he asked, as he tugged at the strap that hooked underneath his chin. "It keeps my hair out of my face- and keeps it from getting caught on my hat when I take it on and off."

It made perfect sense and seemed reasonable as to why he was wearing it.

But sometimes the most efficient things were rather ugly.

"You know, I haven't seen you throw your hat once since we got here," Jade reminded.

"Yet."

It was odd how a single word could feel like a threat.

Still, the thought remained with her.

For a monk, Kung Lao had a flashy personality and a flashy sense of style; his trademark being his signature bladed hat. He had been a hit with it at the Tournament, and Jade wasn't above admitting that she too had been pulled in by his theatrics when he was in the arena. He always celebrated each victory with a hat toss, letting the blade catch sparks as it went around the walls of the arena.

His hat had made enough of an impact that the Kollector himself was interested in getting a hold of it- which was enough said on its own.

And yet, despite the open air of the ocean they traveled on to get here, and the open space of the island itself, he hadn't so much as touch his hat.

Jade could make assumptions for the reasons why, but they all pointed in the same direction.

Kung Lao had once served as Quan Chi's Executioner, and after the Warlock's death, he continued to serve the same under the Dark Emperor.

A flick of the wrist and he could kill ten Oni's with one hat toss.

And during the Earthrealm invasion of the Netherrealm, he had killed just as many Special Forces soldiers in one motion.

She didn't have to question if the memories still plagued him; she already had her answer.

Kung Lao had always been a happy, easygoing person before, despite the ribbing everyone usually gave him- and despite everything that had happened, he still seemed to put on a good front about maintaining that attitude.

But it was easy to tell when he was forcing that illusion, forcing himself to convince himself that he was happy.

But after living in a nightmare for twenty-five years, they all just had to take things day by day.

Herself included.

They both let the conversation go to silence as they focused on making their way through the narrow corridors, ducking in and out of the carved rooms as they went along. Most of the rooms seemed to have nothing in them- nothing more than old broken chests and discarded junk.

Jade was almost tempted to say that the place had already been ransacked, but with how neat things still seemed to be, perhaps any and all items had simply been moved around- perhaps to a safer location even.

It wasn't until they stepped into a much larger room did either of them speak again.

"What on... Earth?" Jade whispered, as they stepped into a heavy-lit room that was filled to the brim with items hung up on the walls around them. After seeing so many empty rooms, she was surprised to find one this decorated. "What is this place?"

"I thought you've been here before?" Kung Lao questioned, looking equally as surprised as she was.

"Sure, probably five thousand years ago," she replied, "- and I'm pretty sure this room didn't exist back then. Or maybe it did and I just never left the dining hall to look for it." Her eyes scanned the room once more, almost hesitant to step into the lit area before she did. "Well, I did tell Kitana that I would look around for any artifacts- and it looks like we've found them."

"Yeah, but what are they? And where did they come from?"

Jade looked long and slow at the different artifacts hanging on the walls before her eyes landed on the altar in the middle of the room, taking sight of where a large, crude, and primitive-looking sword was propped up in display.

She walked towards the altar and then carefully moved around it. Weapons on display like this usually had some kind of trap attached to it to prevent robbing- and a weapon like this wasn't something easy to come across; it would've made for a fine sale on the black market. She searched for a trigger of some kind to give her an idea of where the trap might be, but instead it lead her to notice the plaque underneath it.

Rubbing away at the layer of dust on it, she had to lean in to read the worn down engraving.

"Queen Sytholin's Blade, Queen of Zaterra," Jade read aloud, before she straightened up and looked back to the sword itself, and then looked over to him. "I wasn't aware Zaterra was its own realm."

"Reptile had a Queen?" Kung Lao questioned as he walked over to her.

"I suppose everyone did at one point," she shrugged, hesitating before she carefully reached out and touched the sword. There was an odd texture to it, sort of like bone- and it made her wonder if that's what it had been carved from. "Apparently wielding the sword allows you to control lesser-minded reptiles."

"Well, I got some bad news about that- there aren't any left."

"I guess it's down here because it's useless then," Jade replied, stepping back now before she looked around the room again; she still couldn't believe what she was seeing all around her. "I guess this must be a treasure room of some kinds- Kitana mentioned something about it before. Apparently Shang Tsung had a knack for collecting things- or at least, collecting things that Shao Kahn had collected."

"We all have our hobbies, I guess- and it's safer than collecting souls," Kung Lao shrugged in return, looking around the place himself before he turned back the way they had came in. "What's this one then?" he spoke, as he walked back towards a display they had missed when they walked in. "Hey, check this out, the Death Mask of Al'Sheva, the former Kytinn Queen. Killed by her own subjects after her defeat at Shao Kahn's hands."

"Good riddance," Jade scoffed, before she cocked her head at the odd mask on display. "It's a little small, isn't it? That carcass we saw in the tunnels here was huge compared to that mask."

"Do Kytinn start off as bugs and evolve to humans? Or are they parasites that take over human forms?" Kung Lao asked, as he reached up to touch the displayed mask- and then removed it from its stand.

Jade felt her heart lurch at the sight, still unnerved by the unguarded treasures and convinced that one of them had to be rigged.

And a weight displacement trap would've been easy to trigger with his actions.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed.

"Look at this thing- they just ripped her face off," he replied, ignoring her question and concern, before he held the mask out for her to see. "The next time we see D'Vorah, we should tell her this is what will happen to her."

Okay, he was still alive- and still seemingly naive on the dangers here.

Maybe it was possible that there weren't any traps here.

Maybe.

She wasn't quite convinced, but surely if there was something here, it would've killed them by now.

"It's not a bad idea," Jade remarked, taking a breath to calm herself before she turned to examine their surroundings once more. And this time, she noticed the massive monument behind her.

It looked to be some kind of shrine built to the former Shokan Champion.

A bust of Goro was made from gold and was perched on top of a matching stand, which was then perched on top of an elevated platform and flanked by two massive Dragon Head medallions; a favorite symbol of Shang Tsung's from the Tournament. Eternal fire had been lit around the Dragon Heads, giving the shrine an oddly warm glow in the open room.

The floor around the bust was littered with gold and what looked to be partial skulls- no doubt once an offering to the deceased Champion.

This place must've been available some days following his death.

Which made her wonder just how recent this room itself had been.

Jade worked her way around the room from there, starting from the shrine and following the walls to go from item to time in hanging display.

There was an odd eight-legged disc of some kind that a plaque identified as being the Talisman of the Kafallah Warlocks. Jade hadn't an idea who they were, but apparently they tried and did succeed in controlling the Outworld ruling Kahn's for their own Netherrealm bidding. Or at least, until they were found out and executed for their actions.

The name didn't sound familiar in the slightest.

She wondered if they were before her time, but that would've placed them ten thousand years before- which if Shao Kahn had been the one to execute them, than maybe it had been.

But surely she would've heard about it during her studies.

Unless Shao Kahn had erased them from history as well, which was not uncommon for the former Emperor to do.

"Hey, does the name King Jerrod ring a bell to you?" Kung Lao called out to her.

Jade turned at the question and took note of where he was standing on the other side of the room, looking up at an artifact that had been displayed on an open shelf of some kind. "Yes, why?" she asked in response, unsure of how that name could at all be relevant all the way down here.

"Uh, this was his crown apparently," he replied- and this time he seemed to be leaving the artifact alone. "It says he was the final King of Edenia, so does that mean what I think it means?"

There was her answer then.

Shao Kahn must've kept the crown as a war trophy.

"If what you're thinking is that King Jerrod was the husband to Queen Sindel and the biological father of Princess Kitana, than you would be correct," Jade spoke.

"Oh."

A simple response.

"Uh, don't tell Kitana what this plaque says about it then- better yet, you don't read it either."

She chuckled lightly at the perceived sense of protection coming from the man, and ignored the sudden rush it put through her chest. "King Jerrod has been dead for ten thousand years; he never met either of us, nor have we met him," Jade assured. "He may be a comfort in principle, but that does not change the fact that he was dead long before Kitana could even support her own head."

If her words offered any comfort to the monk, she couldn't tell.

"It's a good find though, Kitana will be glad to hear that his crown has been found," Jade continued. "With Edenia back on its feet, it would be nice to have such a precious keepsake back- and I'm sure Queen Sindel will be happy to see it again as well."

"It says the crown's been passed down with each ruling King," Kung Lao remarked. "You think there's someone who would wear this next?"

"Hard to say," she shrugged. "There's a slim chance that Queen Sindel will wed again, so the weight of the crown might instead befall to whoever Kitana chooses- and the man that she would choose already wears a crown of thorns."

"I wouldn't speak of Grandmaster Hanzo so oddly like that. He more accurately wears a headband of thorns rather than a crown of them."

Jade snorted out a laugh before she went back to what she was viewing.

After the Talisman came the sight of a massive scepter hanging high on the wall, completely shadowing her. The thick hilt of the scepter was wider than her forearm and it's V-shaped blade widened out past carrying capacity for any normal human being.

Korloven Imperial Scepter, something that didn't even resonate as being anything familiar to her.

Whoever they were, they had met their fate at the Shokans's hands.

Next came the Osh-Tekk Baton of Victory.

Considering that it was down here in Goro's Lair however, there wasn't much victory behind it now.

A massive club of a weapon now collecting dust as an artifact rather than as a rite of passage.

But Jade felt her attention be pulled to something else- to a smaller artifact she had overlooked amongst the larger weapons hanging above her.

Drahmin's Mask was set between the two weapons, sitting in the shadows of them.

It was a grim reminder of the Oni Jade had seen only once in passing, and had done a good enough job at forgetting about. Her eyes scanned the plaque underneath it, reading out the story that didn't tell a happy ending. In fact, it didn't tell the correct ending either.

She could still remember the glowing bones that remained of the former Oni, heated by the magic Quan Chi had used to kill Drahmin with. His bones had glowed for three days before Kitana kicked them into a lava pit, stating that she was tired of looking at them.

It had been a firm reminder that, despite being some of Outworld's and Earthrealm's greatest fighters, they were all vulnerable and expendable to the Warlock. They served as slaves to Quan Chi's magic, offering no resistance to his word; if the Warlock so much as wished them dead, there was little they would do to fight the verdict.

The feeling still left a coldness in her fingertips when she thought about it.

Jade reached out and touched at the mask, feeling the oddly smooth texture to it. She traced the pointed horns that curved towards the back of the mask before she touched at the gaping mouth. To think, she had once thought the teeth to be real.

Given Drahmin's title of Master of Torture however, it wasn't out of the question to think that he would rip teeth out of a living mouth.

"Oh wow-"

Jade felt the words yank from her thoughts before she turned towards his voice, forgetting about the death mask in her hands for now.

She watched as Kung Lao, once more, removed something from its display stand.

For a monk, this man had no respect for artifacts.

"Find something interesting over there?" Jade called out, watching as he jumped at her words- as though forgetting that she was still with him.

"Yeah, I- wow, I can't believe this thing is here- and that it's been here this whole time," Kung Lao replied, before he turned to show her what he had pulled off the shelf above him.

And to her, it looked sort of like a... clay ball with sticks sticking out of it.

"What is that?" she questioned, shooting him a confused look.

"It's the Hearthstone of the Sun Do village," Kung Lao explained. "It used to safeguard the village from evil spirits- or at least, it did until Shang Tsung and Quan Chi destroyed it. They enslaved the whole village and used the villagers as labor to build Onaga's temple." He paused as he used part of his tunic to wipe away some of the dust covering the object. "It had been lost for centuries. Everyone assumed it had been destroyed. Li Mei always talked about making another one though- but she would be thrilled to have this one back."

Jade knew vaguely of the Sun Do village and of Li Mei herself.

The woman was an acting ambassador between Outworld and Earthrealm, on a small-scale anyways, and was a favored member of the White Lotus as well- although she didn't hold an official rank.

"You should give it back to her then," Jade spoke.

"Would Kitana know I took it?"

"Kitana doesn't own it, and neither did Shang Tsung or Goro for that matter," she replied.

There seemed to be a moment of hesitation, as though he had expected her to answer differently. "Good point," Kung Lao nodded, before he set the object back up on the shelf. "I'll grab it on the way out when we're done here."

Turning back to Drahmin's mask, Jade carefully lifted it off of its own stand- despite her own criticism of the action. She examined it in her hands before she looked over to where Kung Lao had moved back to the Queen Sytholin Blade. And at least in regards to the massive blade, he seemed content with just leaving it as it was- thankfully.

She found herself hesitating in showing him the mask, wondering if it would bring back too many unpleasant memories.

Neither of them knew Drahmin, they only knew of him from the show Quan Chi had put on with his execution.

But all it usually took was just one memory before the snowball effect took over.

Still, the curiosity of how this mask ended up here was too much for her to ignore.

"Look at this," Jade called as she turned to show him the mask.

And she watched as he turned to see what it was- perhaps curious to see something that she had found in this odd collection place, especially after his two more interesting finds.

And she got to see the look of realization that passed over him the moment he recognized what she was holding.

"Is that... what I think it is?" Kung Lao asked.

"Yeah," Jade nodded, looking down at the mask herself before she looked back to him. "The plaque is wrong so I'm wondering if this is a replica of some kind instead. I can't imagine how this thing would've ended up here."

"I don't know, he never really wore the thing around," he replied. "Maybe someone found it and brought it here- and someone else just happened to recognize it? Or maybe it's a really good copy-cat. I'm pretty sure Drahmin's was a little more beaten up than that, but that's not to say someone didn't touch it up to make it more appealing to sell."

All points were interesting to think on, whether or not they were likely to have happened.

Someone either had to go to the Netherrealm to get the mask, or came out of the Netherrealm with the mask.

And even then, what good word did Drahmin have to his name to make it such a collecting piece?

"Maybe," Jade mused, before she turned to put the mask back on its stand.

"You should put it on."

She paused for a moment, before she slowly turned back to him at the request, giving him another quizzical look. "... Why?"

Even Kung Lao seemed surprised by his own response, but shrugged in return to her question. "I don't know. Why not, I guess?"

His suggestion was outrageous and, above all, stupid- and yet, for some reason it felt like she physically couldn't put the mask back down now. It was more than likely a fake anyways, with its false story and too clean of a look to have belonged to Drahmin himself.

And at the end of the day, it was still just a mask, nothing more.

It was enough to spark an idea in her head though.

They were the only people on this island; the only people who had been down here in decades- excluding Kitana's expedition out here anyways.

And as of now, they were probably the only people who knew about this treasure room to begin with.

So where was the harm in having a little fun?

After all, coming here served as a break that they both needed to get away for a little while- and this was the first time either of them had been alone with one another since serving as Revenants.

They could try to make better memories between them.

"I'll wear this mask if you wear the crown," Jade offered in trade, now feeling as though she had a bartering coin in her hands.

"Oh come on, that's a little sacrilegious, don't you think?" Kung Lao objected.

"It's either the crown or the bug mask," she replied.

And she seemed to have him stumped with her response, offering him only two choices instead of a way out.

Jade could practically see the gears overworking in his head as he seemed to be thinking her bargain over.

"Are those my only choices?" he pressed.

"You could wear this mask," she spoke, as she held Drahmin's mask out to him.

And almost immediately, he held his hands up in a mock surrender. "I'll take the crown," Kung Lao quickly replied, before he slowly turned and walked over to where the crown was sitting. "But you cannot tell Kitana or Queen Sindel about this."

Jade chuckled at the remark, knowing well that such a thing would come back on her just the same. "And you can't wear your hat or that little cap thing under it either," she called after him.

She heard him give an audible groan and laughed once more as she watched him reluctantly hang his hat up on one of the shelves. The leather cap came off soon after and she cocked her head to get a better look at his hair, which was slightly loosened now from the movement. Jade watched as he reached up and slipped the crown off of its display before he carried it back with him- holding it firm in his hands, as though afraid that he might drop it.

"Well?" she pressed, as he came back to her.

"You put yours on first," Kung Lao started.

"I'm not going to be able to see out of this thing once I put it on," Jade reminded, as she held the mask in front of her face to demonstrate her point. If she positioned it correctly, she probably could see well enough out of the eye holes, but she wasn't going to risk missing out on the show.

And besides, if she already had the upperhand here, there was no sense in giving up the position.

Kung Lao rolled his eyes in disbelief but eventually gave in to her demands.

"Okay, okay- if this messes up my hair though, I'm gonna be mad," he chuckled before he moved to slip the crown on- and did so careful and slow. "Whoever this King Jerrod was, he had a big head," he remarked, as the crown set a little lower than it should have.

The lowered position caused the pointed portion on the front of the crown to dig into the bridge of his nose rather than rest on top of it.

"Or maybe it's just all Edenians."

"Well, the only male Edenian that I know of had the biggest head," Jade offered, "- it was mostly full of hot air though."

Kung Lao readjusted the crown as needed and as best he could, pushing the downward arrow to settle on the side of his nose rather than down the front of it. It took some adjusting and tweaking on his part before he seemed comfortable enough with its position. And when he seemed satisfied with its fit, he held his hands up next to the crown like an invisible frame. "Well? How does it look?"

And Jade felt that familiar rush in her belly at the sight of him.

"Oh, look at you," she mused, grinning at the finished image, "so regal-looking yourself- if you ever get tired of the monk thing, I'll let Kitana know how good you look in the Edenian crown."

"Stop," Kung Lao laughed as he waved her off. "Now you put the mask on."

Such a quick change of the subject, as though he was hoping she wouldn't see the flush of red across his face at her teasing.

And Jade might've been teasing him, but her words weren't without merit. There was no denying that, despite the years and torture of the Netherrealm, the man had held on well to his boyish good looks and charm. His face was mature but there was still this hint of mischievous innocence to it- although certainly no one would ever describe him as being innocent.

The silver crown fit well enough on his head, but adjusting it had caused some of his black hair to be pulled and strayed- causing the thin strands to loop in a hook against his brow and cheeks.

And she found herself having to resist the urge to reach out and brush them back into place.

It was hard to deny that him standing in front of her, looking the way he was, was doing something for her. It was hard to describe, but the rush of heat to her own face felt like a dead giveaway on its own.

Jade gave a subtle grimace as she looked at the mask in her hands before she carefully slipped it on, securing the holding band against the back of her head.

And almost immediately, she heard him start laughing again- which only made the heat of her face burn hotter.

"Now how do I look?" she questioned, although she was fairly certain that she already knew the answer.

"Oh, very attractive, Jade," Kung Lao replied, "- and very fitting too, it's even in your color."

She framed the mask with her hands before she reached up and adjusted her hood to fit around it, carefully tucking her hair back as she did so. "How about now?" Jade spoke, hearing him laughing harder now as she fixed the mask to allow her to see out of the eye holes. And she was glad that the mask offered full facial coverage so that he couldn't see her grinning as much as she was in response to his laughter.

He wasn't forcing himself to be happy in this moment; he just was.

And it set off this pounding in her chest as she watched him.

"Pretty sexy, right?" she teased.

"It's- it's something."

Jade found herself laughing at how hard he was laughing at her, which was something that she hadn't done until now- and here of all places to do so. Despite their own recoveries, she still felt like she had to walk on eggshells around the other former Revenants.

It had taken her a full year before she could even look at Kitana again, let alone speak with her.

And it had taken longer before she could stand to be in the same room as Queen Sindel again.

And given her limited interactions still with the others, there was no telling how she would react around them.

But yet, with him, there was still this tender space that remained.

It still welled up in her chest from time to time when she saw him, as few and scattered times as it had been- and even if there was distance between them or no words even spoken.

She often wondered if he felt it too.

There was never really an appropriate time to bring it up, and she didn't feel like it was appropriate to speak about at the Jinsei just before they disembarked to get here. And while this still wasn't the best place either, it did separate them from any and all things that were familiar to them.

It offered itself as a blank slate.

Jade reached out and touched a hand to his shoulder before she pulled herself in, feeling the motion come all too naturally to her. "Come on, give me a kiss."

A bit of a bold strategy, but it was something to test the waters with- even if it was just a playful tease.

"No, no, no-" Kung Lao started, laughing through the words still, and barely giving her a fight as he stumbled away from her.

"Don't be shy," she teased. "I'm sure we could figure something out."

And there was something in his eyes that seemed to spark with life at her words.

And she watched as an all too-familiar looking smug expression came to his face.

"Sure- figure out how to catch me and maybe I'll let you kiss me."

There was no hesitation from her side that as soon as she watched him take off running, she went after him.

Jade was pretty certain that Kitana expected her to come here and explore the caverns for anything that might remotely be useful to them. And to her credit, she did find some valuable artifacts.

Then again, Kitana also expected her to be here alone.

But as much as she valued Kitana's opinion, again, what the woman didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

So here she was instead.

In the pit of Goro's Lair, sacking the treasure room that had been hidden for so long- and chasing Kung Lao around while she wore Drahmin's mask and he wore the old Edenian royal crown.

Sacrilegious was certainly a word for what they were doing.

[Although perhaps not a strong enough one.]

Jade chased the Shaolin around the middle altar at first, just barely able to keep herself a few steps behind him.

She could've easily ran him down, but then again he could've easily outran her just the same- or at least teleport out of her range.

But where would the fun had been in that?

And then things progressed.

Soon they were running through the carved out hallways instead, expanding their range to the other rooms of the lair. They never went too far though, preferring to keep to the rooms they had already explored- lest they run into something completely unprovoked and unprepared.

Sometimes their roles switched, and although Jade wasn't sure how it happened, she found that she still loved the adrenaline from a good chase. Her heart was pounding and she could feel the lightness of her feet even against the dirt and loose rocks underfoot.

In the moment, she just felt alive again.

She wasn't a bodyguard.

She wasn't a servant to an Emperor, nor was she a consultant between Edenia and Outworld.

Here, she was just Jade.

Quick-witted and fast on her feet, to no one's service but her own.

When they made it back to the treasure room, there was no hesitation as she bolted for him- determined to take him down this time. Kung Lao seemed to know what she was planning though and turned mid lunge to catch her.

It was a collided effort as they both hit the ground- breathing hard through their sputtered laughter now.

Jade wasted no time in getting him pinned underneath her, ensuring that he couldn't escape, before she reached up to push both Drahmin's mask and her hood back; she let the mask sit on top of her head to keep it out of her way. She could feel the sweat beading against her brow, bringing attention to the heat under her skin now.

Running wild in an enclosed, underground cavern didn't offer the most breathable scenario.

Jade could feel her heart pounding in her chest and in her ears, and rationalized that it was from the running, from the excitement- from that rush of adrenaline that was still pumping through her body. It was from the fact that she had 'won' their little race.

But as her eyes dropped to meet his own at their quieting laughter, the moment of silence that soon fell between them gripped at her in an entirely different way.

And suddenly the sound of her heart pounding in her throat now seemed to be coming from somewhere else.

There was a second of hesitation as Jade reached a hand out to brush his face before she found herself leaning down towards him anyways- and almost immediately, she felt his hands reach up to pull her in just the same.

If there was a kiss between them, it was brief and fell apart almost immediately.

Jade grabbed at him with her hands, with her fingers- digging them into his jaw and face as she worked her tongue into his mouth. And she felt the way Kung Lao gripped at her back; she felt his fingers digging and raking against the back of her shoulders and ribs, wrinkling the smooth material of her uniform underneath his palms.

There was no sense in denying the desperation that their hands gave away, as fingers gripped and clawed at one another, acting as though they were afraid one of them might get ripped away at any moment.

She was fully aware now of the pounding in her chest, of the ache between her legs; the same one that had been slowly growing every time she looked at him. And when Kung Lao pushed one of his thighs between them, she found herself pushing against it- aggravating the already persistent heat.

If pleasures were easy, she'd let herself go right here.

Every time she found herself pulling away, that voice of reason finally calling out to her, Jade felt Kung Lao tighten his grip on her before he yanked her back in. There was barely even air breathed between them as she felt his fingers push under her hood and grab at her braid, wrapping it around the knuckles on one hand.

But she felt herself claw at him just the same; she felt her nails dig into his cheekbones at even the slightest hint of him trying to resist her. And in the back of her head, she knew it was wrong.

But there was this possessive hold that wouldn't let her let him go.

It stemmed from a bad place, from hellfire at their backs and from a desperation to forget.

But they always wanted this.

The carnal sin of the flesh had been the easiest way for them to remember what it used to be like to be human and alive again- even though they had hardly ever spoken before their turn to Revenancy.

And maybe that was why it had been like an addiction before.

And why it still felt like it now.

It was only when Jade moved her hands, when she ran her fingers trough his hair, gripping the black strands tight in her hold, did she feel herself snap out of the possessive trance.

The realization washed over her like a cold water bath and she ripped away from him before either of them could fight it or each other again.

And in the stillness that came afterwards, she felt an overwhelming flood of guilt hit her.

Her head was still buzzing, unsure exactly of how to process the matter- how to process what had just happened between them. There was a split moment where she was fully expecting to see the hell fortress around them again, fully expecting to find them both locked back inside of the Netherrealm. And the whiplash from seeing their environment as anything but that only made the situation feel worse.

It felt like they had done nothing but push each other the entire time they had been here, testing the boundaries between one another- wanting to test the waters to see how the other would react.

And while the waters were lukewarm, it was both inviting and uninviting all the same.

"That- we should not have- that shouldn't have happened," Kung Lao started, a firm sound in his tone despite his jumbled speech- despite the look of matching guilt on his face. He made the motion to pull himself out from underneath her, only to be stopped by the tangled mess of their legs, and her weight still on top of him.

To which he simply just let himself fall back to the ground rather than fight any of it.

Jade supposed she could've offered to move, but the offsetting exhale and the way he closed his eyes told her that he knew exactly how she was feeling about the ordeal too. And right now, that kind of affirmation wasn't something she was going to let go of- not yet at least. It had been years since she had last felt this vulnerable and even so much as moving made it feel as though the illusion of the past two years was going to fall apart.

She watched as Kung Lao raised his hands to touch at his face before he pulled them away, hissing softly at the bruised skin her fingers had left behind.

And it was then that she noticed the small punctures that littered his cheekbones and jaw.

And it was also then that she remembered the armored tips on her fingers, and realized she had been scratching at his face this whole time.

[Just like before.]

"We agreed that we weren't going to do this again," Kung Lao spoke, and this time there was no firmness in his voice- only a solemn tone of defeat instead.

"We said we weren't going to talk about it," Jade corrected, perhaps unnecessarily.

Which really was the case here.

They had only spoken briefly after having the Jinsei rip the dark energy out of their bodies- and really it was just her who had told him that they were never going to speak about what they did.

At the time it was to protect herself, and him, from yet another act that they felt they couldn't control.

But it was different now and they couldn't keep ignoring the elephant in the room anymore.

"Okay, that's true- and to be fair, we haven't talk about it," he admitted, "- but skipping over the 'not talking' about it and just doing it doesn't solve anything either."

That was a given.

"So we should talk about it then," she offered.

And there was clear hesitation on his part.

She didn't want to talk about it either, but they just didn't have that option anymore.

"Okay," Kung Lao agreed, slow with the single word of agreement, "let's talk about it- but not like this."

"Why not?" Jade pressed, unsure of how else they were supposed to talk about the things between them if not right after the fact- while the action was still fresh. They were both pretty vulnerable still and a little messed up on the emotional and logical side, which obviously made for the perfect atmosphere to talk things out. Even then though, it was better than just pushing it under the rug.

"Because if you keep sitting on top of me like this, it's gonna get a lot more awkward between us- and it's awkward enough as it is."

The remark was enough to break the mood as Jade laughed quietly at his expense and pushed herself back onto her knees; she used the altar as leverage to hoist herself back to her feet, feeling the slight shakiness in her balance now.

A hand brushed the wrinkles from her tunic as she stepped back, careful not to step on him as he worked himself to his feet next.

She watched as Kung Lao dusted himself off as well, fixing the way his tunic set against his shoulders before he looked back to her.

And instead of a sense of resolve, she felt something else inside of her go off.

That same possessive, greedy nature from literal seconds ago.

Jade pushed it back, hoping to ignore it long enough to make a conversation first.

But the moment she felt Kung Lao grab at her and pull her in, she didn't offer a fight.

She felt the heat of his mouth as he kissed her again and Jade moved her hands to his shoulders- instinct telling her to push him away, but everything else insisting that she pull him in.

And she did; she tangled her fingers in the loose folds of his tunic as she kissed him in return.

"We're supposed to be talking about this," Jade reminded, barely getting the words out from between their lips.

"We'll talk later," Kung Lao replied, "- on the boat."

"On the boat is good."

Jade didn't think about the matter beyond that.

She didn't even consider that they might not remember to discuss this when they returned to the boat.

And she didn't question herself on why she had tossed the matter away so easily, especially considering how hard-pressed she could be for details. But Jade also knew that she simply just couldn't do it. Because if she did, if she started to question things in the full scope of the matter, then she'd have to come to terms with what they were doing and where they were doing it.

Admittedly, being on a desolate island in an abandoned underground lair with Kung Lao wasn't quite the most disgusting thing she had done in her life.

But it was a close second.

[No judgement towards him, of course.]

But with how Kung Lao ran his hands over her, with how he kept her pulled in, kept her anchored against him, Jade couldn't deny it.

She couldn't deny either of them.

If this was how they wanted to reclaim their memories, reclaim their former flame, than so be it.

It was for them to decide that.

Kung Lao pressed his hands against her body and she felt the way they fumbled against her. She felt how he instinctively went for the armor that wasn't there anymore, felt the hesitation in wondering how to recover from the routine they had once upheld- now lost.

But Jade found herself in the same predicament.

She found her hands dropping to mindlessly work at the straps on his chest-plate, only to feel his bare skin against her fingertips instead.

And she realized how jarring the realization was.

By all accounts, it should've been easier this time around.

No armor, no accidental cutting of his palms on the sharp spikes that use to reside on her hips.

No rush to get clothing off before someone had a chance to call for them.

And yet, Jade found herself struggling to figure out his simpler outfit.

But she eventually did.

And so did Kung Lao.

And with only skin separating them, it was inevitable for them to follow through the same motions as before.

It was wandering hands following muscle memory, shortly followed by lips, by mouths and tongues.

It was skin pressed so tightly together that their beads of sweat rolled into one.

It was her hands curled tight against the dirt-covered tiles, braced against the flooring above his shoulders. She could feel his own hands wrapped around her waist, felt the guiding motions of them as Kung Lao pulled her down on top of him, sinking himself into her each time. A rhythmic lull that was easy to fall into- and one that she found herself falling into.

It was skin, it was sweat.

Utter silence between the heavy gasps for air.

[They were always quiet as Revenant.]

[They needed to change that.]

When they finish, it was together, with his hands anchoring her hips down against his own and her hands now clawed against his chest; her palms feeling the bantering of his heart underneath them.

There was a sense of heat that rushed to her head, giving off the sensation of passing out before she felt her weight settle on top of him.

Before Jade felt his hands climb from her hips to her ribs before they grabbed at her arms and pulled her down to him.

And just how easily she went, feeling his hands move to cup her face before Kung Lao guided her to his lips.

She held on to the kiss for as long as either of them could manage it before she pulled away.

It was hot, stagnant air between them.

And now that their deed was done, she carefully removed herself from him before she crawled off of him and moved to lay out into the open space next to him. The dirty tiles offered little reprieve from the heated beads of sweat on her skin, but it was better than nothing.

"So," she started, unsure exactly of where to go from there.

There didn't really seem to be an appropriate topic to follow up with after what they had just finished doing.

"We definitely... did not do justice for these artifacts."

She reached up at the remark and felt Drahmin's mask that had somehow managed to stay on despite their activities; she had completely forgotten about it by this point. And the realization that it had been on the entire time was a little disturbing now that she thought about it.

"You know what I mean," Jade pressed.

Kung Lao brought his hands to his face, covering it for a moment before he wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's gonna be a long boat ride home," he started.

And she swore there was a hint of exhaustion in his tone- possibly one that wasn't caused by their recent deed.

"And it's gonna be really hard not to do this again while we're trying to talk about it."

She laughed at the remark, glad to have the break in mood. "We can still do this and talk," Jade offered, "- the initial temptation is out of the way now."

"That is no guarantee," he replied.

Also possibly true.

At this point they might have to consider getting a mentor or a peacekeeper to watch their conversation- but she feared for the person's safety should they actually try to get in-between them.

"I need a shower," Kung Lao remarked.

They were both pretty well covered in the dust and dirt of the abandoned lair, which perhaps was a hazard all on its own.

But the layer of sweat they were both drenched in only made the coating feel worse.

"Well, there's always a dip in the ocean," Jade spoke, knowing well that he wouldn't be able to pass that up. "Or-" and she teased the single word by gently nudging his head with the tip of her fingers on his jaw, "we could drop by the Grotti shrine on the way back to Earthrealm."

"Once more, sacrilegious," he replied, "- but it should be late by the time we get back, no one would be around."

She smiled lightly at the sound of reasoning in his voice.

"I won't tell, if you don't."