Losing Scorpion made me want to lose my mind. I didn't know how to take it...I couldn't even move. I wanted to cry, but somehow. I couldn't...it was as if he was by my side like he had promised, telling to stop weeping...but...I...

"Ama..."

I looked back and saw Sub-Zero, his eyes showing his sorrow for my sake. He opened his arms and I rushed into them...that's when I started weeping. I could no longer hold it back...I had lost Scorpion...

"Go ahead and cry, I'm right here..." He cooed into my ear.

"Sc...Scorpion..." I mumbled.

Sub-Zero said nothing. And that was enough for me, the grief that I felt was too overbearing for words to even translate my feelings. My memories of picking him and tag teaming him with Kitana and Mileena...I lost it. Even if I did go back to Japan just to play the game again, it wouldn't be the same if I picked him. My heart burst with sorrow...did...did I ruin the gaming experience for future Mortal Kombat games? Would...would Scorpion ever come back? I reminisced over his words...he said that I had set him free...so that...that meant...I buried my face into Sub-Zero's chest. I couldn't even give him a proper burial...but I couldn't dwell on him anymore, as much as it pained me to think that way...

"He's gone..." I whispered.

"Shh, shh, shh..." Sub-Zero hushed softly.

I...I had to move on and begin my new life with Sub-Zero...I couldn't dwell on Scorpion, it would be what he would have wanted, but I could always keep him in my heart. He had always been there...and maybe that was what he meant when he said that he would be there for as long as I needed him...did he already know that he was in my heart? A wave of warmth wrapped around me and my eyes widened slowly...Scorpion...Scorpion was warm...I smiled and straightened my posture.

"I'll never forget. I promise!" I called out.

I didn't want Sub-Zero to feel as though he was sharing me with the resting Scorpion. I grabbed his hand tightly and smiled brightly at him.

"I love you." I grinned.

He smirked at me, bent down, and nibbled my ear. I yelped and jumped back, holding my ear.

"Do you think I'm angry at you for grieving over Scorpion?" He asked.

I turned pale. I didn't want for him to think that...that was never my intention! That was what I was trying to prevent! He chuckled and patted me on my head. "I'm not. I understand your obsession with him. But I also understand your obsession with me."

He winked playfully and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Wow, you're short."

I giggled and pecked him a kiss on his cheek. "I know that!"

He picked me up and kissed me again. Man, I loved this man. He set me down and said, "Alright. We can continue this later. Right now? Come with me."

We walked back to the room where everybody else was at. However, there was a tall, built man there, speaking to Ermac. I stopped and felt a tingling sensation run through my body.

"Come on." Sub-Zero encouraged.

I felt so timid as I walked closer to the figure. Royal purple robes wrapped around his body, as if he were a burrito. He had an air or regal authority, but it almost felt too regal to be qualified as royalty...I gulped slowly and stopped walking. Ermac looked at my direction and bowed his head. Then, the man turned around, his dark eyes shimmered brightly. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as he took a few steps towards me, his eyes never breaking contact with mine. We were but an inch apart and I felt overwhelmed by the immense power that he naturally carried with him. He then smiled at me, a single tear rolled down his left eye.

"Ama..." He whispered.

I stared at him, completely confused. He hesitantly reached out to me and I didn't resist. He eventually touched a bit of my hair and exhaled. I reveled in the warmth that he brought with him and closed my eyes. He tilted my head upwards and cupped my face in his hands.

"Ama..." He repeated.

I was still incredibly confused. What did he want with me, how did he know my...my name...memories of when I was a child rushed back. My father and I were playing Mortal Kombat side by side, I was beating him with half of a life-bar left. He laughed merrily and put his controller down the moment Kahn announced, "Kitana wins!"

"Very good, Ama! You're getting the hang of it now, huh?"

"Again, again!"

"Oh, alright!" He chuckled.

We played again and again and again...we weren't even tired, even as it had become one o'clock in the morning. Eventually, we stopped. He turned off the game and led me up to my room. He then tucked me in, kissed my forehead, and wished me the best of dreams. And the next morning...he wasn't there...

I looked away from the man... then, I immediately hugged his waist. I remembered...he was my father. As I looked into his dark eyes again, I saw that he was indeed my father, those mesmerizing little orbs somehow unforgettable, even after all these years.

"Ama..."

"D...Daddy!" I sobbed. Dang. I was crying a lot lately. Sub-Zero's emotional training may have not totally worked out in my favor.

My father held me tightly against him, his touch bringing back so many good memories. I felt love run all through me, the resentment that I had felt for him diminished immediately. I was so happy to be back in his arms again and I wanted to stay there forever...

"Amaterasu...my child...it's been so long..." He smiled.

"You're telling me!" I giggled.

"You two have been separated for a long time. It's so good to see both of you finally together again. The Master has been talking about you for ages." Ermac said.

I looked up at my father. "Really...?"

"Well, why not? You and your brother are my pride and joy, Ama." He smiled.

"My...my brother?! Oh no, father, we have to go back-"

He placed his finger on my lips. "Say no more. I know what you're thinking."

"We have to go, he's still with her!"

"He will have to stay with her, Ama."

"What?! Father, please no-"

"Ama, our family has been blessed with the ability to enter worlds unlike our own." My father said quietly.

"Believe it or not Ama, your father helped pave the way for Mortal Kombat to come into existence. If it weren't for him, the realms would have been in utter and complete chaos, we as kombatants would have no role, and you would have never come here." Sub-Zero said.

I gasped and stared at my father. He nodded at me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Our family, even way before my generation, has always been able to come into worlds that are unlike their own through one simple wish. You came to free the realms from Shao Kahn and his tyranny and you have succeeded. Now, it is your brother's turn to come into this world to fulfill his purpose."

I panicked. He would get hurt, he could die like I almost did numerous times. Besides, what could his purpose be if Shao Kahn was dead?! Would he have to face Shao Kahn again?! Would Kahn be resurrected?! I couldn't let my brother go through that...besides, I had acted as his mother and showered him with the love and attention that our mother refused to give. I shook slightly, my built-in motherly instincts kicked in. My father smiled at me and stroked my cheek.

"I understand your worries, Amaterasu. And I am proud to know that you feel this way. But our family has also been known to overcome the greatest of adversities. We are survivors. There is no doubt in my mind that your brother will live."

"But...he is not just my little brother, he is your son, and...and he is so little!"

My father's words angered me. He acted like it was the circle of life, that his own son didn't matter in such a gory environment! I shook further with anger and Sub-Zero grasped my hand to calm me down.

"You think that I do not care about either you, nor your brother?" My father asked, his tone genuinely hurt.

I wasn't sure how to respond. I automatically thought of how he had abandoned my brother and I at such a young age and I got angrier. I pushed myself away from him and crossed my arms defiantly. "He is your son and you sure don't act like you care! Mortal Kombat is terrifyingly gory and violent, and you're willing to open your infant child up to this?!"

My father's face turned somber. "That isn't my intention."

I huffed and looked away from him. He didn't move, but I could tell that he wanted to hold me again.

"Ama, listen. I understand all that you have gone through, I have seen it myself and it tore me apart more than you know. But now isn't the time to be stubborn. Your brother must come in to this world because he has a duty to fulfill as well."

"What, did you just plan to have us so that we could fulfill duties or something? Is that all we're good for?! And how in the hell am I being stubborn, I've been selfless for a majority of my life, so of course I'm going to be stubborn as hell now!"

This was it. The anger that had been built up inside of me because of my father unraveled. I knew that it was inside of me somehow, but the joy of seeing him again overpowered my resentment. Now, it was the other way around.

"Ama..." Sub-Zero whispered.

I looked to him and relaxed slightly. I hated seeing him so sad, especially since he had recently begun to open to his emotions. He grabbed my hand and stared deeply into my eyes.

"You came here with a set purpose, though you didn't know what it was and...neither did I. Yet...yet we began to know one another as time passed. Even if you didn't come here with a purpose, you have no idea how much you've helped each and every one of us."

I looked around at everybody and saw that I had, somehow, affected their lives. I had only known them physically for so long, but their personalities...their very character...managed to somehow follow me as I grew up.

Smoke walked over to me and kneeled down. He pushed a lock of hair away from my face and smiled gently. "I would have never been able to laugh as much as I can now because of you."

"S...Smoke..."

"You opened my eyes, squirt. Big time. You helped me see things that I never would have dreamed of. You allowed me to see perspectives that I never thought existed. Ama, no doubt...if you weren't here? I'd be lost. And I'm not just saying that just to kiss your ass, I would be hella lost."

His frank speech made me laugh. I hugged him tightly and he hugged me in return. "You may feel like some tool used to save the realms. But in reality? You're the biggest help we've ever had, Ama. And you've touched each of our hearts in more ways you can imagine."

He smiled broadly as he said this and he kissed the top of my forehead. I still felt resentment towards my father. But Smoke's words said almost everything that my father may have wanted to say. I looked at my father and tears were in his eyes. Had...had I caused those tears? I somehow wanted for it to feel good, but it felt so bad...I wrapped my arms around my father and he returned my gesture.

"You have been through so much, my daughter..."

He held my face in his hands and looked at me. "I am so sorry for leaving you the way I did...as you grew up, I felt the resentment that you felt towards me and I hated it...I didn't want for you, my only daughter, to think of me in such a negative light...but you had no other way to think..."

My entire body felt numb with emotion. "You've been watching us this whole time..."

"And I never showed you that I was there because the ways of this world are unlike the ways of 'ordinary' life. I had to bring you here for you to understand..."

Kahn's words to me while we were battling came to mind. I didn't grow up with a father figure...I had to figure it all out for myself...pain ran through my heart and my father grasped my hand.

"I've seen all you've gone through, Ama...and I have only ever wanted to take that pain away from you. Because of this barrier of reality versus fiction, I was never able to...but that is no excuse, and I know that...I am so terribly sorry, I..."

He paused and placed his hand over his mouth. Seeing the pain that he was in for my sake...it was as if we were feeling the same thing this entire time...I remembered his presence while I was alone with Scorpion in the cave, his message of forgiveness resonated with me to my core...Scorpion was my ally while this man, this god...was my father. How unfair it would be to forgive my ally over my own flesh and blood. I felt compassion as he began crying and I held him tightly.

"Just...don't leave me like that again, okay?" I whispered.

My father laughed and held me firmly. "Never again."

It felt as if everybody else had disappeared and I was alone with my father. I wanted it to be like this for the longest time...the little girl in me rejoiced over reuniting with my father while the grown part of me realized all of the pain and suffering that it took just to see him again. But I couldn't leave my father...and I couldn't have him leave me. I still needed him. He held me firmly, unwilling to let me go. But eventually, I slowly eased away from his embrace and smiled faintly. He brushed the hair out of my tear-stained face and smiled broadly.

"I love you." He smiled.

I giggled and held him again. I was ecstatic when he said that...his "I love you" topped Sub-Zero's by so much. Overall, I felt very loved today and I wouldn't have minded if the love kept coming.

"I'm so glad that you are here, my daughter..." My father said softly.

I paused. "Wait...how...how did I come here again?"

Smoke chuckled and shook his head. "Selective memory."

My father nodded enthusiastically. "The generations before our own are permitted to bring another member of their family into this very atmosphere at their request, Ama. This is how it's been done for centuries. And at your request, I immediately brought you here, to this very world."

"Centuries...our family has been around that long, huh...so wait, it was because of my wish that I was able to come here?" I asked, majorly surprised.

"Yes. For so long, I've waited for your request, but it hadn't come as quickly as I had anticipated."

"Oh...yeah, I was that awkward, dull knife then as I am now..." I blushed.

"I wouldn't say that. You've blossomed, Ama. Even your comrades can agree."

I looked at my friends and they nodded with wide smiles. My father then took my hand and brought it together with Sub-Zero's hand.

"The connection that you have had with this man has also fueled your desire to come here, as we both know. From what I recall, as we played, you would blush madly whenever you saw this fellow."

I blushed madly. "Father, please."

Sub-Zero laughed. "There isn't any need for you to feel embarrassed anymore, Ama."

"Yeah, but still..." I grumbled.

My father laughed and released my hand. I still clung onto Sub-Zero's hand almost instinctually.

"I made sure that those same ties would follow you as you grew."

So...I was destined to be with Sub-Zero. It was guaranteed from the very beginning...I squealed as silently as I could as Sub-Zero stroked my hand.

"So...everything went as planned..." I sighed.

"Not quite."

"Huh?"

Ermac crossed his arms. "You still haven't fully tapped into your abilities as a demi-goddess."

My father waved his hand nonchalantly. "We always have time for that."

"Always...wait do you mean?!"

My father smiled. "That's right. You aren't going back to Anto."

I was silent.

"Wait for it..." Smoke said slowly.

"...OH MY GOSH, REALLY?! I GET TO STAY HERE?! OH MY GOSH, THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

"Hold on now," my father warned. "It was bound to happen. Generations before both you and I have come into games and have stayed in said game. Reason being, if they were to ever return to their home, insanity would surely set in. But it won't be a cakewalk while you're here, Ama."

"No, I completely understand, I'll be responsible!"

"Good-"

"Right after I go to Edenia!" I squealed.

"You'll have plenty of time for that. But, in the meantime, I will train you to gain access to your true abilities as my daughter. Surely, your quick thinking is a major part of it, but that isn't all."

"Right! But...what happens after my training?" I asked.

"You will awaken the next generation." He grinned.

"My...my brother?"

He nodded and tilted his head to one side. "Don't worry. I'll help you."

He would help me...I nodded at him and hugged him tightly. I couldn't hate this man, this god, this being...it just wasn't in me, especially after my entire forgiveness party with Scorpion. I had a lot of work to do...I couldn't stop now. I had to prepare my brother, I had to make sure that I could lead him down the right path with as little injuries as possible. As I looked at my friends again, I began to see that it was possible.

"Mamma, I'm going to play Mortal Kombat!"

"No! That game is too violent!"

"Aww, come on!"

"NO!"

He sighed and collapsed on his bed. He stared at the posters hung up in his small room, thoughts of the game ran through his mind endlessly...he knew he had to play it. It all felt so natural to him, the environment that the game had, the characters in the game, everything. He made sure his mother was far away from his room. He gently closed the door. And he turned the console on.

Scorpion. Sub-Zero. Reptile. Ermac. He played deep into the night, refusing to get any sleep.

"Man...I wish I was in this game..." He hummed to himself as he tag teamed Smoke and Jade together.

He refused to give in to sleep as the night raged on. And eventually, he couldn't help but succumb to it with the console still on.

~End~

Hey, my lovelies!

Yup, Obsession is finally done! The way I ended it isn't particularly the greatest, I suck at endings...but! I will keep this unanticipated series going! I have a lot of editing to do with this story...but! I just want to thank all of you for supporting me all the way through with this story! Again, this is my first story that I've actually finished...sad, but true!

Again, thank you all so much for sticking with me! I love you all!