Mileena's Redemption Episode 4

Mileena's Redemption
Episode 4


4 months have passed since Shang Tsung's defeat and Quan Chi's Brotherhood of the Shadows cult has gone back into hiding, probably planning on how to deal with me and my friends. I seriously hope my theory isn't true, because Mileena, Jade and Kitana are in no condition to fight for now. Sure, Liu Kang, Sonia, Johnny, Raiden, Ermac and the others guys can fill in for us, it's just the problem is that Mileena and Jade have just reached the second trimester of their pregnancy while Kitana is still halfway through the first trimester. She is not feeling very good lately, you know, feeling sick and such, Mileena and Jade don't have any maternity clothing, and they can't seem to find one, so they have no choice but to wear their everyday revealing outfits. At least their outfits leaves their stomachs exposed, that's a good thing. Zagato has been very enthusiastic lately about me and him being kings of Edenia since Kitana and Mileena are royal, but I haven't quite warmed up to the idea yet. My mind has mainly been focused on what Quan Chi and his fanatic cult might be planning next.


One morning, I was in the courtyard with Zagato doing a little... target practice, shooting empty  cans of Fanta soda that Nathan brought from the Earthrealm a couple days ago. I gripped the pistol in my hands, took careful aim at the empty strawberry soda can being propped by a table a few yards in front of me and fired once I was sure I had a perfect aim at the can. *BAM!* Nearly a second after the shot rang through the air, the empty soda can seemed to jump off the table. "Nice shot, hotshot!" Zagato congratulated me, giving me a friendly pat on the back. Using my left hand's pinkie finger, I dug into my ear as if something is clogged in there. "This is why I hate guns. They're loud, noisy, but effective." I told Zagato. "Yeah, but if you have a silencer muzzle, the noise won't be much of a problem... too bad I don't have one yet..." Zagato admitted. "Ugh. What's the point in using weapons that give you away when you're in stealth mode?" I asked Zagato as I handed him his pistol.

He sighed. "It's not the weapon that makes you powerful or stealthy, it's the way you use it that matters." Zagato replied to me as he set the pistol on safety mode. Just then, Kitana, Nightingale, Jade and Mileena came up to us. "You boys okay?" Kitana asked us. Zagato smiled at her. "Yeah, baby, we're okay. Garnet and I were just having a little talk about how useful both quiet weapons and loud weapons can be." He told her. "Good. I'd hate to send you to a hospital, sweetie." Kitana said, giving Zagato a hug. "Hey, don't worry, it's not like I'll shoot myself in the foot." He assured her. "When you're firing a gun in your sleep, maybe you will." I said as I walked up to Mileena, stood behind her and gently rubbed her baby bump.

Nightingale did the same to Jade too. "Hey Garnet, Nathan, Wayne and Jax want to come by and play Skullgirls on your PS3 tomorrow." Nightingale told me. "What? Again?! Jeez, Zagato, Nate, Liu, Wayne and Jax love playing that game!" I shook my head in depression. "Come on, let's get back in the castly, it's getting kinda hot out here." Jade said. We headed back in the castle. We went into the living room and relaxed there. We all sat on the couch together, next to our respective mates. I had my hands wrapped around Mileena, Nightingale had his hands around Jade, and Zagato had his hands around Kitana. "So what would you like to name our baby if it's a boy?" Kitana asked him. Zagato furrowed his eyebrows.

"Uh, gee, I don't know. Give me some time to think about it." Zagato replied. "Are you okay, Millie?" I asked her. I get the feeling that carrying an 18 week old fetus inside your body can be tiring and a little uncomfortable, especially for someone like Mileena.. "I'm fine, Garnie... I just wish the baby would come out soon. It's making my tummy inflate like a balloon. I'm a little nervous that it'll pop..." Mileena replied nervously, rubbing her pregnant belly. "Aw, that won't happen at all, Millie, there's nothing to be scared of." I assured her. "How's our baby, honey?" Nightingale asked Jade. She pulled off her mask and smiled. "Um... Nightie, I have a surprise for you..." "What is it?" He asked. Jade took a deep breath and said: "I had a checkup with my doctor yesterday, and he said that... I'm carrying twins." Jade announced.

"WHAT?!" We exclaimed at the same time. "You're kidding!" Zagato gasped. "It's true. Nightingale and I are having two babies instead of one. They are both girls." Jade said. "How... how can you be pregnant with two babies it the same time?" Mileena asked Jade in surprise. Jade shrugged in reply. "Wow, Nightingale, looks like you have more responsibilities as a father on your hands more than Zagato and I do." I said. Nightingale grinned. "It's better than being a potential king of Edenia." He said smugly. "Urk! You HAD to bring that up, didn't you?" I said angrily. "It's the truth. Kitana and Mileena are Edenia's princesses. You two got them pregnant, so you guys have to consider being kings." Nightingale said. I still didn't like the idea.

"Zagato, what do you think?" I asked him. He put his right hand up to his chin and rubbed it in thought. "Hmmm... Being kings of Edenia may not be so bad when you think about it." He said. "But Zagato, the responsibilities we have to deal with...!" I urged him, trying to tell him how challenging it is being a king. He shrugged. "Hey, we gotta grow up sometime. We can't stay kids forever." Zagato said. "He's right." Mileena nodded. I looked at her incredulously. "Who's side are you on?" I asked her. Mileena was about to reply, but instead she said: "Oh! The baby...!" She gasped. "What?" I felt my heart jump. "The baby... I can feel it moving inside me...!" Mileena exclaimed, but not loudly. Mileena and I both looked down at her belly and as we took a closer look, I could see her skin shifting a little, and a couple small lumps moving around, pushing the smooth surface of Mileena's stomach. "I can feel my babies moving too!" Jade said. "Wow...! Can I touch?" Nightingale asked her. Jade nodded.

He put his hand on Jade's pregnant belly and eventually he felt the babies moving. I also put my hands on Mileena's pregnant belly and I could feel her baby moving and kicking a little, too. "Wow..." I whispered in awe. "Garnie... I've never experienced anything like this before... There's new life developing inside me... I... I don't know how to describe how I feel..." Mileena whispered in awe. I looked up at her surprised face and smiled, looking deep into her Tarkatan eyes as I let my left hand gently touch her chin. "This is the kind of feeling words can't describe, Millie, you have to feel it to understand it." I said to her. She looked at me. "I'm so happy to be able to create new life with you, Garnie." Mileena said, then I kissed her nose. "I swear, Jade, I'll be a good father to our babies. This is the happiest day of my life." Nightingale smiled as he gazed into Jade's eyes. "I know you will. Our daughters will be just as beautiful as I am." Jade replied and kissed Nightingale. "I'll make sure of that too." Nightingale nodded. Zagato smiled at us and looked into Kitana's eyes as he rubbed her pregnant belly. "I never expected to have a child of my own either, but I am happy about this." Kitana smiled at Zagato. "Feeling is mutual, babe." Zagato gave a nod in agreement and kissed Kitana's nose.

Kitana was about to grin, but she quickly turned her smile into a neutral, expressionless frown. "Kitty, what's the matter?" Zagato asked her. "It's nothing." She said. "Are you sad or something?" Zagato wanted to know. "No, I'm not sad at all. I'm happy to be with you, and I'm happy to have a baby with you, it's just that... Never mind, I'll tell you later." Kitana said. Jade looked at Kitana in suspicion. "Are you okay, Kitana?" "I'm fine. Why?" "You're acting a little odd." Jade replied. "Odd? No, I'm fine." Kitana replied honestly, or at least faking honesty. Just then, the castle housemaid came up to us. "Kitana, you and your friends have a visitor. It's Mr. Faust." She told us and then walked away to go back on her cleaning duties. A few seconds later, Mr. Faust came into the living room. Zagato, Nightingale and I rose up off the couch and proceeded to shake his hands.

"Mr.. Faust! Good to see you!" We said to him as we shook his hand. "Well, I'm glad to see you boys are doing fine." He said. "Better than fine. There's a chance Garnet and I will become kings of Edenia." Zagato blurted out. Idiot! I don't want him to spread that around! "Doh...!" I slapped my forehead in shame. Mr. Faust shifted his eyes towards me. "Is that true, Garnet?" He asked me. "... Yeah... Zagato and I are in a relationship with Kitana and Mileena. He got Kitana pregnant, I got Mileena pregnant, and... well... that's why we might become kings..." I admitted, almost muttering. Faust nodded. "I see. You boys got a lot of responsibility ahead of you." He said. "We know." Zagato, Nightingale and I answered at the same time, our voices together almost sounded monotone. "With the Brotherhood of Shadows cult still lurking about, I don't think it's safe enough to start a happy family just yet." Faust said.

Kitana stood up. "Do you have any useful information about them? What they're doing and what they're planning?" Kitana asked Faust. He shook his head. "Sadly, no. Even Ashrah has no clue where they're hiding, or what they're up to." He admitted. "An ex cult member can't find her old cult... That's not good." Mileena said. "It is. It means we're stuck on square one." Jade agreed. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that. The only thing we can do like these past few months is wait until they make their move, then we'll get them." Faust said. "For now, we're like fishermen, waiting for the fish to bite our bait." I said. "Exactly." Nightingale nodded.


A few hours later, after Wayne, Nathan and Jax visited us to play my PS3, and after excercising in the gym room with me and Zagato, Nightingale went back to his room by himself. Kitana, Jade and Mileena were doing a special kind of excercise for pregnant women, to keep their bodies from building up so much fat, they won't be able to fit in their outfits anymore. It is evening now, around the time 5:27. Nightingale reached under his bed and pulled out a gray briefcase looking container. He unlocked the latches, lifted the case open, revealing a sniper rifle, an L96A1 AWP rifle with green and brown military camo colors, with valentines and black and white graffiti on the sides of the rifle. There's also a gas mask, a pistol, and a pair of gloves too. Nightingale reached in and grabbed his dog tags and looked at them as if they held some long forgotten memories. "Nightie?" Jade called from nearby. Snapping out of his trance, he quickly closed up the case and pushed it under the bed before Jade appeared. "What's up?" She asked him in concern. "Oh... nothing." He said, still holding his dog tags in his clenched right hand. Jade could clearly see he is holding something. "What's that in your hands, a necklace?" She asked him curiously.

"Huh? Oh, no. This is.. uh..." Nightingale paused in sentence, gestured Jade tosit with him at the edge of her bed and when she sat down next to him, he said: "... These are my dog tags, from my service in the KSK." He said. "KSK?" Jade frowned in confusion. "'Kommando Spezial Krafte', the Special Forces Command of the German army. I was sargeant of my squad." Nightingale forced a smile looking into Jade's eyes. "You served in the military? Wow, there's more to you than meets the eye! Anything else that's interesting about you, sweetie?" Jade asked. Nightingale's modest smile slowly disappeared as memories of a botched mission in Iraq flooded back to him. Memories that nearly gave him post traumatic stress disorder. "Nightie? Baby? Answer me!" Jade tried to wake Nightingale out of his trance. "What?! When?!" He exclaimed as he snapped his head left and right.

"Is there anything more I don't know about you?" She asked. "Oh. Well, I got injured in battle..." He opened up his shirt, revealing a healed but visible scar of a bullet hole on his left lung. "Oh, my..." Jade gasped. "I got shot there, even on my right kneecap, and I nearly died... Somehow, I survived... I got discharged and I moved to New York City. Many months later I met Stryker and we became close friends. Then he invited me to the Outworld where a rebellion is being formed against Shao Kahn. A group of martial arts students led my Mr. Faust was there with Liu Kang, Raiden and everybody else, and that was how I met Garnet." Nightingale said. "Oh, that's interesting." Jade smiled. Nightingale sighed. "Yeah..." He didn't want to tell Jade about the worst parts of his memories. They're too painful to think about. "Well, I'll be back, baby, I'm going to go talk to Kitana for a minute." Jade kissed Nightingale, stood up slowly and walked away.


Meanwhile in Kitana's room, Kitana and Zagato were having their own private chat, sitting on the endge of the bed. Zagato took a deep breath, sighed, and put his arms around Kitana's neck. She smiled at him. "I got a good joke to tell you. Wanna hear it?" Zagato asked her. She nodded. "What's the difference between a bird and a fly? A bird can fly but a fly can't bird." Zagato said. Kitana's mouth was about to burst out laughing but she quickly covered her mouth and all that came out was muffled, nearly uncontrollable fits of laughter. It took nearly a minute for Kitana to calm down. "... That was hilarious! You're funny, Zagato." Kitana grinned, showing her pretty white teeth. "Thanks. You're the first woman who thinks I'm funny." Zagato said, fairly pleased. "Really?" "Yeah." He nodded in reply. "I didn't know that..." Kitana said, sounding nearly nonchalant. "Kitana, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Are you unhappy being with me?" "Why do you ask?" Kitana wanted to know. "I just wanted to know, because I get the feeling that our love is kinda blind. By the way, if love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? I mean, you, Jade and Mileena wear some pretty revealing outfits. Not that I'm complaining." Zagato said. "The answer is pretty obvious. We girls attract more attention from guys that way." Kitana replied. Zagato stared at her blankly. "... That is a joke." Kitana said. "Riiiight..." Zagato slowly nodded. Just then, Jade came into the room. "Jade. What's wrong?" Kitana asked her. "Nothing. I just want to speak to you. In private." Jade said almost in a curt tone when she said "in private" because she is talking to Zagato.

He stood up. "Okay, all right, I can take a hint. A girl-to-girl talk. I'll just be in the courtyard, by the swimming pool." He said as he left the room. Jade sat down next to Kitana. "What is it, Jade? What do you want?" Kitana wanted to know. Jade put a comforting hand behind Kitana's back. "Kitana, we've been friends for... How long? 9,900 years?" "Yes." "Nothing has changed after all these years. I want you to be honest with me, as a friend. Are you really happy with Zagato? Please be honest with me, if you don't, you two will have huge problems later on." Jade told Kitana. Kitana looked down at her feet touching the cyan colored carpet. "... Jade... *sigh*, don't take this the wrong way, but I really do like Zagato, I really do, it's just that, I have second thoughts about being with him..."

"Why?" Jade wanted to know. "I'm worried that if our enemies find out that I have a romantic attatchment to Zagato, they might try to get to him to get to me." Kitana admitted.  "So that's why you act a little nervous about showing Zagato how you feel about him." "Yes. I don't want to put his life in danger for any reason." Kitana nodded. Jade slowly nodded. "I think I totally understand now... But Kitana, cheer up! There's not a single member of the Brotherhood around here, they're all hiding someplace!" Little did Jade and Kitana know that outside the window of Kitana's room, perched on the branch of a large tree is Kia, a member of the Brotherhood of the Shadow. After Jade assured Kitana that there are no Brotherhood members around, Kia smirked then, with her stealthy abilities, disappeared without a trace, even the castle guards never noticed. "What's even better, you, me and Mileena have someone we love, and we're going to have kids! Be happy, Kitana! Shao Kahn is dead, Shang Tsung is dead, all we need to do is take care of Quan Chi and Shinnok and we'll be safe to live a happy life!" Jade assured Kitana. Kitana slowly looked up at Jade's face and cracked a small smile. "What do you have in mind?" She asked. Jade smirked as well. "Well, we could have a little... pool party." Jade suggested.


Meanwhile, while Jade was speaking to Kitana, Mileena and I were in our room, having our own personal conversation. Mileena held ber teddy bear close as she laid in the bed with me, looking up at the ceiling. I smiled and turned my head to my right, looking at Mileena who is looking up at the ceiling, daydreaming. "Millie." I called her. "Hmm?" She looked at me. "Are you excited about being a mother?" I asked her. Mileena didn't reply immediately. "I never dreamed of it, but I guess life gives you things you didn't expect to have." She said, looking into the cute face of her teddy bear then bringing her right hand down to her swollen belly to rub it. I nodded to show her I understood. "Garnie, can I ask you something, darling?" "Sure, Millie. What is it?" I asked. We sat up tougether now, sitting on the bed. Mileena looked into my face and pulled down her veil. "On the day when you and I... joined together for the first time, did you plan on having a baby with me all along?" She asked me. I smiled coyly. "You want the honest truth, Millie? Yes and no. Mostly all I wanted to do was satisfy my raging sexual urges. Seeing you fully naked really turned me on. I wish I had a condom to wear, but I don't think they exist outside the Earthrealm, though." I admitted. "What's a condom?" Mileena asked. "Uh... a piece of rubber that I put on my uh..." I pointed down at my crotch. "Oh. Your 'pleasure stick'." Mileena nodded. "Condoms are designed to stop sperm from entering your body when we orgasm so that you won't become pregnant months later. I wished that I had one on the night when we had sex the first time, but when I saw you walking towards me taking off your revealing outfit, touching your naked body sensually, I didn't care anymore. Besides, I think condoms only exist in the Earthrealm." I admitted.

Mileena giggled in a sensual way. "Is that so? Even when I'm half naked, do I still turn you on?" Mileena asked me, handing her teddy bear over to me. I gently took it into my hands and nodded. "I thought so. If I didn't have big breasts you wouldn't like me very much." Mileena said. I wasn't sure if she sounded amused or upset. I guess the former is true. "Even if you didn't have busty boobs, I'd still love you anyway. There's so much more beauty in you than your physical beauty, and you know it, you always act like a sexually confident woman; otherwise I wouldn't have gotten you pregnant, which has already happened. I guess you could say deep down I wanted to have a baby with you, even though I was subconsiously wishing it." I told her. Mileena came so close to me, I could feel her warm body heat. I smiled at her and brought Mileena's teddy bear up to her face. "Hi there, Millie! I'm Mr. Snuggles! Wow! You look very happy today! That's something I love to see! ... Hey, is that a baby in your belly or did you eat 10 apple pies?" I joked, changing my voice a bit to make it seem like Millie's teddy bear is talking.

Mileena was so tickled, she giggled for 6 seconds. "Oh, Garnie! You're so funny! That's why I love you so much. You make me smile a lot." Mileena said. I grinned. "Uh, Millie, your Tarkatan mouth ALWAYS smiles." I said. "She has every reason to be happy, Garnet!" I said, changing the pitch of my voice to make it seem like Millie's teddy bear is speaking to me. I looked at her teddy bear in my arms. "Really? Why do you think she's happy all the time?" I asked the bear in my normal voice. "Because you freed her from a life of manipulation and servitude from Shao Kahn! She used to be devoid of consience, but thanks to you, she now feels and is beginning to understand remorse, empathy and love, something Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn never taught her how to feel." I changed my voice again to make it seem like the stuffed bear is replying to me. I looked at Mileena. "Is he right?" I asked her. Mileena nodded, giggling like a sweet, playful little girl. She put her arms around my neck. "You're my hero, and the man I love, Garnie. Without you, I don't know what path my life would take... I'm sure it wouldn't be good..." Mileena said. I kissed her arrowhead shaped nose. "Your sister deserves some thanks, too. She adopted you." I said. "Yes. I thank both of you. You and my sister have given me a life that's much better than the life I used to have serving Shao Kahn. I can clearly see now that he never cared about me as a daughter, he only used me. You, Garnie, you're the first person I met who is nothing like him." Mileena said, a tear falling from her eye. I kissed her nose again.


Later that night, at 8:00 p.m., we were having a swimming pool party. Jade, Nightingale, Kitana, Zagato, Mileena and I were in the pool, relaxing, swimming and later sitting at the 4 feet area of the pool making out. Nathan, Wayne, Jax and Liu Kang were playing my PS3 in the castle with Sonya, Skarrlett and Sindel watching the boys play my video games. Johnny and Faust were playing Checkers and Sub-Zero and Ermac are playing Connect Four. All of us were having fun, obviously. Mileena and I were making out, so was Kitana, Zagato, Nightingale and Jade. I was softly kissing Mileena's neck, making soft, wet smacking noises while Mileena moaned softly in pleasure. Zagato kissed Kitana down from her neck to her left shoulder. He attempted to remove Kitana's bikini top, but she wouldn't let him do it, but still she allowed the kisses, though, heck, she even kissed him on his nose and cheeks a few times. Zagato then kissed Kitana down from her chest to her cleavage. Nightingale and Jade were really enjoying themselves, a little too much, if you ask me. They were kissing all over each other as if they both taste like sweet fruits. I kissed Mileena's nose a couple times, then she purred and nuzzled her nose against mine and I asked her: "How's our baby doing?" Mileena looked down at her belly. "I still feel it moving a little, but its not as active as it was a few minutes ago." She replied. I reached out with my left hand and rubbed Mileena's shiny, wet, round belly. "I'm so glad I met you, Garnie. My life feels like it has much more meaning now that I'm with you." Mileena cooed at me then nuzzled her nose against mine again. "I know, Millie. You deserved better than how Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung treated you..." I cooed back, dipping my hand in water and raising it over Mileena's head, letting drops of water fall on her head and watching the drops fall off her pretty, wet black hair. "I got better, Garnie. I got you." She nuzzled me again. Kitana and Zagato were slowly kissing each other "Is the baby okay, Kitty?" Zagato asked. Kitana touched her belly, which is 3 times smaller than Jade and Mileena's.

"The baby seems to be fine. I haven't felt it moving yet, though. Have you thought of a name for the baby?" "Well, if it's a girl, I'll name her Katrina." "Katrina? That's fine. What if it's a boy?" "I'll name him Khris." "Khris? ... Sounds original, but I'm not the picky type." Kitana admitted. "Good." Zagato smiled and continued kissing Kitana. "Do you... think I would make a good king?" He asked. Kitana smiled. "Zagie, nothing is impossible once you set your mind to it. ONly you decide what you can and can't do." She said. "Thanks, that means a lot to me, babe." Zagato smiled. Nightingale softly bit Jade's nose and kissed her soft, brown lips twice, then Jade took her turn, softly kissing and biting Nightingale's neck. "Verdammt, fühlt sich das so gut...! (Damn, this feels so good...!) Jade, baby, I feel so happy being with you. Being with you and having a baby with you, my life feels totally complete!" Nightingale exclaimed.

Jade chuckled. "I bet. A Scorpio like me can do a lot to put you on cloud nine." Jade grinned. "I know, I mean, you're the best thing that's happened in my life since I met... Amber." "Who's Amber?" Jade asked. "My late girlfriend. She's a journalist." "What happened?" "Remember a few hours ago I told you I moved to NYC? Well, on my first day in the big apple, I had trouble trying to get a subway ticket from a ticket vending machine, then she showed up and helped me out. As we rode the subway we talked. I told Amber my adventures around the world, seeing and learning how diverse everyone around the Earth is helps me forget the emotional pain and anguish in my heart after what I've experience during my service in the KSK. As we talked, we became close friends, and days later, we formed a romantic relationship. Being with Amber was like a remedy for my tortured soul. I've experienced all the horrors of war that you can imagine." "Like what?" Jade asked. Nightingale's expression grew dark. "The loss of your squad... The squad who you see as your family getting massacred..." Jade fell silent.

We all fell silent as we listened, waiting for Nightingale to finish his story. "As our relationship grew, we lived together in an apartment and I got a job as a security guard at a bank, I don't remember the name of the bank. But two years later, Amber got some dirt on a mafia boss." "Mafia? Those are the kind of guys you do NOT want to tango with." I noted. "I know, and that's where things took an ugly turn. Amber wanted to go to the press with the evidence she had agaisnt them, but some hit men caught her, interrogated her, and... killed her..." Nightingale's voice began to break up in grief. We all fell silent. "She was found dead in New Jersey. The NJPD couldn't find out who was responsible, but I had a hunch that the cops were paid by the mafia not to fully investigate the murder. Following my own investigation, I found who was responsible, I called an old friend of mine in Germany and used my old sniper rifle to exact vengeance on the guys who stole Amber away from me. I was arrested after I killed the Don. I was sentenced to prison for life. The transport bus was driven by Stryker. We became close friends and he released me by inviting me to go to the Outworld to join the rebellion against Shao Kahn. Garnet knows the rest of the story." Nightingale said. Jade's eyes widened. "I had no idea you had gone through so much emotional pain..." She whispered. "Yeah... But I'm fine now, now that I have you and a baby coming, my life feels complete again." He hugged her. "I'm happy to be here for you, baby. I'm right here for you and I'll always be here." Jade embraced Nightingale, a tear falling from her eye. "Awww..." Mileena began to cry too. I patted her back sympathetically. "My... Poor Nightingale." Kitana said. "Nightie is a tough bird, I'll give him that." Zagato nodded, a tear falling from his left eye. Later on that night, after everybody in the party left, we fell fast asleep. Zagato slept with Kitana, Jade slept with Nightingale, and Mileena slept with me... with her teddy bear in her arms.


Later at midnight, everything is very quiet. so quiet, in fact, even the castle guards were bored, but they knew they had to stay vigilant. Zagato woke up, climbed out of bed without disturbing Kitana and groggily headed for the bathroom wearing only his white tank top and blue boxers. After taking a leak, he stood in front of the bathroom sink, turned on the cold water and splashed water on his face because he felt unnaturally tired and dizzy for some reason; he thought splashing cool wayer in his face will snap him awake. But when he looked up at his reflection in the mirror, he saw a white haired woman with white markings on her face behind him! Zagato's eyes widened in shock. Before he could turn around and demand the person behind him who she is and what she wants, the woman grappled her arms around Zagato's neck then sprayed some kind of sleeping powder into Zagato's left nostril, knocking him out cold. Then the woman escaped with unconsious Zagato without alerting anyone. The next morning, Kitana woke up, stretching her arms and yawning. "Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well last ni..." Kitana paused in mid sentence as she realized that Zagato is not in the bed with her anymore. Kitana's eyebrows raised up in concern.

"Zagato? Zagato honey? where did you go?" Kitana called as she climbed out of bed. She checked the bathroom. He's not there. She checked the gym room, he isn't there either. Soon it became apparent to Kitana that Zagato is MIA. She called me, Mileena, Jade and Nightingale into the living room. "What's going on, sister...?" Mileena asked, rubbing her right eye, still partially sleepy. "Zagato... He's gone! He's missing and I can't find him anywhere!" Kitana exclaimed. "What?" Nightingale frowned. "Don't worry, Kitana. Knowing Zagato, he could have found some secret chamber in the castle and is exploring it." Jade assured Kitana. "No. If Zagato wanted to go exploring every inch of the castle, he would have told me beforehand. Insted, he turns up missing without a trace. Something isn't right." Kitana said.

"What do you suggest we do, Kitana?" I asked her. Kitana put her right hand up to her chin in thought. "... Hmm... If Zagato has been kidnapped, we need to start a search party for him. I'll call Liu Kang and the others to help us out... I hope Zagato is okay..." Kitana said, clearly sad and worried about Zagato's health and safety. A few minutes later, Kitana contacted Liu Kang, Stryker, Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Nightwolf, Ashrah, Bo' Rai Cho, Ermac, Sonya, Raiden, Sindel, Jax, Mr. Faust and the rest of his martial arts students, including my buddies Skarlett, Nathan and Wayne. We were all gathered in the living room, standing in line as if we're soldiers and Kitana is our drill sargeant. Kitana took a deep breath then sighed softly. "I'm sure some of you are wondering why you all are here." Kitana noted. "Actually I was wondering something else." Jax remarked. "It seems we have a friend, an ally, my... fiancee, is missing in action. I believe he has been kidnapped, but there isn't much evidence to support my theory." Kitana said. "What makes you think he is kidnapped, Kitana?" Sindel asked. "I believe the Brotherhood of Shadows is behind his disappearance, mother. I don't have any evidence, but I can feel it in my gut. They want him for some reason." Kitana said, her voice low and serious.

"What would Quan Chi want with a 22 year old boy who is one of Mr. Faust's martial arts students?" Sonya asked. "I don't know... But whatever it is, it can't be good. That's why we need to form a serch party, search all the realms for his wherabouts. Ashrah, you used to be a member of the Brotherhood of Shadows. Do you have and clue where they might be keeping him?" Kitana asked Ashrah. "It's been many years since I've been a member of the cult. I don't know much about their current activities... But my friend Sareena does." Ashra said, introducing Sareena who has entered the room as if on cue. Sareena looks like a normal attractive woman like Ashrah, but my instincts tell me that they aren't "normal" women. "So, you used to be part of Quan Chi's club, right?" Johnny asked her. Sareena nodded. "I left the cult 4 days ago. I can tell you all more about their activities more than Ashrah can. Their main hide out can be found in the Netherrealm, but they have more than one hideouts in that realm, about 9 of them, so we're going to have to split up into groups and search them all if we're goign to have any chance in finding and rescuing Zagato." Sareena said. "Sounds like a plan!" Jade declared.

"So, we finally got a lead." I said. "Okay, here's the plan. We head to the Neatherrealm, split up into 6 groups and individually search the Brotherhood hideouts. Remember, do not search the main hideout until we check all the others. Understand?" Kitana said. Everyone nodded. "Good. Let's go." Kitana said. I stepped up. "Uh, hold on a second, guys." Everyone froze at my command. "Kitana, Jade, Mileena, I think it's best for you three to stay here while we hunt for Zagato." I said. "What?!" Jade exclaimed. Mileena hissed disapprovingly. "Are you mad, Garnet?! My fiancee is missing! I want to do everything in my power to find him!" Kitana protested at me. "I know, but you, your sister and Jade are pregnant. If you three get into a fight, you'll end up having a miscarriage. If Zagato was here, he wouldn't want you to put his baby at risk." I told her. "But...!" Kitana tried protesting again. "Garnet is right. Jade, honey, you should stay here with Kitana. You too, Mileena." Nightingale said. "We're helping my sister whether you like it or not!" Mileena hissed at Nightingale.

"Kitana is like a sister to me too! I'm going to help her rescue Zagato!" Jade joined with Mileena protesting. "Think straight! You three are pregnant! If all three of you end up having a miscarriage, how do you think Nightingale, Zagato and I would feel?" I asked Mileena, Jade and Kutana. All three looked upset, but they knew I spoke the truth. "... I hate to admit it, but Garnie is right. I don't want to endanger my baby..." Mileena reluctantly admitted.  Jade looked at Nightingale, gazing into his forlorn eyes. "... As much as I hate sitting at the sidelines, I'll do it... for Nightie..." Jade said.  Kitana approched me. "Garnet, do me a favor." "What is it, Kitana?" "Please, get Zagato back safe and sound. I... I was shy in showing how much I cared about him... Please bring him back alive... I want to show him I'm not shy anymore..." Kitana started sobbing and I gave her a friendly hug. "Don't worry. We'll bring him back alive." I promised.


And so, we travelled to the Netherrealm in search of a Brotherhood of Shadow hideout that is holding Zagato for... who knows what, a black magic or necromancy subject...!  Liu Kang, Bo' Rai Cho, Sindel, Ermac, Wayne and Sonya couldn't enter the Netherrealm because according to Ashrah, their souls isn't evil, or at least partially tainted with evil. That means my soul, nightingale's soul, Raiden, Ashrah, Sareena, Jax, Mr. Faust, Nathan and a few of the other students are tainted with evil. That's very disturbing to know, since I'm nothing like Quan Chi or Shao Kahn. I'm sure Mileena would be able to enter this place too, since she used to be evil. It's good news to know that some of us are able to enter the realm, at least.  The Netherrealm doesn't look like a place I would go for a vacation. It reminds me of the description of Hell from some religions, a world that looks completely volcanic, and filled with many lava pits. Because of the heat, the air here is a little thin. We split up into two groups Ashrah and Sareena led me, Nightingale and Nathan, Raiden led Jax, Mr. Faust and his remaining students.  Sareena and Ashrah led us across this bridge under a river of lava 100 feet below us. The bridge feels sturdy enough, so we aren't worried. "Hey, Garnet, you okay, buddy? You look kinda sick. You shouldn't have looked down." Nightingale said.

"It's not that. It's the fact that we can enter the Netherrealm." I replied, sounding sullen. "Don't let it worry you. Just because you're not pure doesn't mean you're evil." Sareena told me. "That doesn't help me feel any better." I replied. By this time, we managed to get to the other side of the bridge. "Where exactly are we going?" Nathan asked Sareena. "To an ancient city called Nekros. Chances are your friend might be there somewhere." Sareena replied. "We need to get there as quickly as possible. It can be really dangerous here in the wastelands of the Netherrealm, even if you know some magic spells." Ashrah said. "What makes the Netherrealm so dangerous?" Nightingale asked Ashrah. She pointed to our left. Behind a jagged row of large boulders, we saw some humanoid demons appear and approach us. "Oh crap. What are those?" I asked. "Those are Oni, demonic beings of the Netherrealm." Sareena said. "Oni? As in the demons mentioned in Japanese folklore?" Nathan asked. "Yes. Here they come. Get ready!" Ashrah said. We got ready for a fight. Fighting these Oni were a piece of cake, even though they look intimidating. With my sais, Nightingale's bo staff and pistol, Nathan's tonfas, Ashrah's kriss and Sareena's sais, we made quick work of these demonic uglies. Nathan chuckled in relief, looking down at the lifless corpses of the Oni. "That wasn't so hard." He said. "We better get going. More might be coming. And we definitely do not want to face an Oni Warlord right now." Sareena said. "That sounds bad." Nightingale agreed. "Yeah. Let's split." I nodded, following them.


It didn't take us long to reach Nekros, one of the largest cities in the Netherrealm. The city is filled with 130 foot tall pagoda-like towers and a few demonic looking houses that makes my skin crawl every time I look at them and the spikes at the edges of the roof. "This place is so evil, I can feel it in my bones..." Nightingale said, gripping his holstered pistol in case troulble jumps them at any corner. "The city was built by sorcerers who sought protection from the hostile demons that populate the wastelands." Ashrah said. "Well, at least we're somewhat safe here." I sighed in relief. Nathan frowned at me. "You're joking, right?" He asked me. I nodded. Nightingale frowned and turned his head left and right as we followed Sareena and Ashrah down the road, passing by many demonic looking creatures that flashed us disgruntled looks. "I don't think the natives here like otherworlders." Nathan said. "Thanks for reporting the obvious." I grumbled. Nightingale sighed in frustration. "Look, this is a big city. How are we going to find Zagato in a place like this? He could be anywhere!" He said. Just then, a mysterious woman dropped down in front of us! She crouched on the ground for a few seconds with her head down then she stood up, looking straight at us. "Kia..." Sareena immediately recognized her. "Friend of yours?" I asked her. "She's a member of the Brotherhood of Shadows." Sareena said. "She looks... hot..." Nathan said slowly because he has the feeling that even though Kia looks like an beautiful, black haired woman, she may be something else. "Don't let her appearance decieve you. She's not your species. Neither am I or Sareena." Ashrah warned Nathan, never taking her eyes off Kia in front of us. "Really? Crap. Still, I'd hit-- oof!" Before Nathan could say any more, I elbowed him in the ribs to get him to shut up and ignore his libido. "Where are you keeping Zagato?" Nightingale demanded. "That's none of your concern, mortal. He's the subject of a very imprtant ritual." Kia replied. "What ritual? What are you talking about?" I asked. "Your friend is very important to giving power to our lord Shinnok, if you're so desperate to know." Kia said, crossing her arms and smirking a bit.

"What?! What's so special about Zaguto? He's just an average mortal, like us! ... Excluding Ashrah and Sareena, I mean." "Your friend has latent magical powers. Powers that rival Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and even Shao Kahn. If Shinnok were able to absorb your friend's dormant sorcerer abilities by drinking his blood, he would become 3 times more powerful than Tsung or Kahn!" Kia exclaimed. "What?!" Ashrah exclaimed. "They're going to kill him for his hidden powers...!" Nightingale gasped in horror. "If you want to get your friend back, you should head to the slaughterhouse, a large chamber under the city if you want to find him. However, I doubt you'll survive to find him." Kia then threw a smoke ball down at the ground and when the smoke cleared, she was gone. "Crap!" Nightingale cursed. "I know how to get to the slaughterhouse. But when we get there, be on your guard. We might be walking into a trap." Sareena warned us.


It took us like an hour maybe, but we found the slaughterhouse. We found ourselves in a large room, big enough to be a fighting arena. We looked around. I saw a few ancient looking machines moving humanoids of every species, even animals to sharp grinders that grund them into a pulp, and blood falls like a waterfall to the lower levels of the slaughterhouse. "Whoa... They don't call this a slaughterhouse for nothing." Nathan said in awe. I looked up and saw a ladder leading up to a platform with a balcony view of the room. "Hey, Nightingale, that looks like a good place for you." I said. "What do you mean?" He asked. "You got your sniper rifle with you, right? Make it useful for us in case things get hairy." I replied. Nightingale nodded, headed for the ladder and began climbing it. Once he got up to the platform 40 feet above the ground, he pulled the leather strap off around his body and placed the rifle in his hands, ready to use it when the time comes. "Look around. If we miss Zagato, we're screwed." I said. JUst then, nearly a dozen Brotherhood of Shadow grunts ambushed us, all of them wielded war axes or maces. "Rephrase that. WE'RE screwed." Nathan said. After a 5 minute fight agaisnt a dozen fairly weak Brotherhood grunts, everythign turned quiet. "Aw, no more?" Nathan called. Just then, a puff of smoke appeared in front of us, and out of the smake came two woman, One of them is the one we met earlier, Kia.

"Long time no see, Ashrah." The woman with long white hair said. "Likewise, Jataaka." Ashrah said, shifting to a fighting stance. "Shoot! Why are all the hot chicks actually demons?!" Nathan whined. "Because they're 'hot'. Get it?" I joked. "Not funny." Nathan scowled at me. "We'll stop you one way or another; we are not letting you ruin the ritual. When lord Shinnok drinks the blood from your friend, his power will become unmatched and he will conquer the Earthrealm!" Kia exclaimed. "Not on my watch he ain't!" I retorted. "Garnet, you and your friend should go. Find your friend. Ashrah and I will keep them busy." Sareena instructed me.

I nodded. "... Okay, but if things get ugly, Nightingale has your back." I said, then Nathan and I headed down the nearest stairs to the lower levels of the slaughterhouse. As Nightingale, who is still perched atop the platform watched Sareena and Ashrah fighting Kia and Jataaka through the scope of his sniper rifle, he began having flashbacks. Flashbacks of his last mission as sargeant of his KSK squad. His squad were at the Euphrates river, pinned down by enemy fire on the other side of the river, but protected by walls of sand bags and their vehicles for cover. Nightingale was gettign ready to relay orders to his squad about their next strategy. "Alle Rechte Kader, wir haben es so weit, also gibt es kein Zurück mehr. (All right, squad, we made it this far, so there is no turning back now." Nightingale said. He laid out a map of the river. "Otto, wird Ihre Gruppe Layout Sperrfeuer auf den Feind. Heinrich, wird Ihre Gruppe Flanke sie nach links, treffen sie aus sicherer Entfernung mit Maschinenpistolen und Scharfschützengewehre. Markus, Ihre Gruppe wird der Feind Flanke von der rechten Seite, während ich bei ihnen direkt zu schleichen wird von vorne, während Sie ihre Aufmerksamkeit geteilt haben. (Otto, your group will lay out suppressing fire on the enemy. Heinrich, your group will flank them to the left, hitting them from a safe distance with machine guns and sniper rifles. Markus, your group will flank the enemy from the right while I will sneak at them directly from the front while you have their attention divided.)" Nightingale told his team. "Klingt riskant ... (Sounds risky...)" Markus said doubtfully.

Nightingale smiled at him, even as a nearby explosion nearly made his ears ring. "Wir können es schaffen, mein Freund. Zweifeln Sie nicht an sich. Also gut, lasst uns aufbrechen! Bewegen! (We can do it, my friend. Don't doubt yourself. All right, let's move out! Move!)" And so, Nightingale's squad began their strategy. While Otto's team distracted the enemies with suppressing fire, Heinrich's team began moving northwest from Nightingale's position carefully moving across the river to get a good shooting spot that'll catch the enemy off guard. Markus's team moved northeast from Nightingale's position to flank from the right. Nightingale equipped his sniper rifle and managed to shoot an enemy soldier in the head who was stupid enough to pop out of cover and try to shoot someone. However, thngs went bad quickly. Very bad. The enemies happened to have RPGs in their disposal! One fired a rocket at one of the vehicles! BOOM! The heat of the explosion swept over Nightingale's face! "Anti-Panzer-Waffen! (Anti-tank weapons!)" Otto called out. "Das wird langsam wirklich hässlich! Abbruch! Abbruch! Markus! Heinrich! Abbruch! (This is getting really ugly! Abort! Abort! Markus! Heinrich! Abort!)" Nightingale called into his radio. It was too late.

The enemy had Markus and Heinrich's squad overwhelmed. Nightingale didn't want to lose a friend, so in a desperate attempt, he readied his sniper rifle and shot down as much enemy solders as he could while their attention is focused on Markus's squad, who are exposed in the open river with no cover. As Nightingale desperately tried to reload his rifle, he saw Markus's head get blown off by a soldier armed with an M16. Nightingale lost it there. "NOOOOO!!!" He yelled. He dropped his rifle, pulled out his pistol and ran out into the river, firing wildly at the soldier who killed Markus. He managed to shoot the soldier in his left eye, killing him, but another soldier returned fire, shooting Nightingale in his left lung. Nightingale fell back, laying in the river nearly unconsious as the river carried his injured body and the dead bodies of his squad around him. Nightingale's flashback ended but he was extremely tense. So tense, in fact, he impulsively took aim at Kia's head and fired! Sareena looked surprised as Kia's head broke like a watermelon and her body slumped down. Not missing a beat, Nightingale took aim at Jataaka's head and blew her head away. Ashrah was wide eyed in shock as Sareena's headless body collapsed. "What...?" Sareena was extremely confused. She looked at Ashrah for answers. She shrugged. Then they looked up at Nightingale. He lowered his rifle. He blinked in surprise. "Oops! Did I do that?" He asked innocently.


Meanwhile, Nathan and I have reached the lowest level of the slaughterhouse, a large room with a grinder a a few feet in front of us and many restrained humanoids and animals being grinded into pools of blood by it. "This is really sick." Nathan moaned. "Keep it together man. We gotta find Zagato otherwise Kitana will go nuts." I said. "Yeah... Hey, there he is!" Nathan pointed out. "Where?" I asked. "Over there!" He said. I looked over at the northwest corner of the room and I saw Zagato, unconsious, his wrists tied by ropes. "Yes! Finally we can get out of this hell hole!" Nathan rubbed his hands together in excitement as we approached Zagato. Before we could get 9 feet close ti him, a dark skinned woman in a bright yellow leotard dropped down in front of us! "I'm afraid I can't let you take him." She said as she stood up. I blinked. "Hey, I know you! You're that woman Kitana fought on my first day in the Outworld... Tanya, right?" I declared. "You have a good memory." Tanya nodded in approval.

"Ugh! Damn it! Why are the hot chicks also evil...?" Nathan moaned in depression. I frowned at him, then turned my attention to Tanya. "Look, I got no quarrel with you. Just let me take my friend, and you'll never hear from me again." I said. Tanya crossed her arms. "I said I can't let you take him. He's an important tool for giving Shinnok the power he needs to rule over the Earthrealm." She said. "Over my dead body..." I growled, getting into my fighting stance. Tanya smiled. "If that is your final wish..." "Ready, Garnet?" Nathan asked me. "Let's boogie." I nodded. We charged at Tanya and came at her with flying kicks. Tanya dodged both of our kicks. When I landed, I tried to backhand Tanya in the face but she grabbed my wrist then performed a sweeping kick to knock me off my feet. Nathan charged at Tanya then slid under her legs then performed a sweeping kick that knocked her off her feet.

I quickly stood up at the same time Tanya juped to her feet. She tried to do a couple roundhouse kicks to my face but I dodged them then I used a uppercut, hitting Tanya right in her chin, launching her 5 feet in the air. Then Nathan fell on his back and kicked Tanya up into the air with both of his legs. When Tanya came back down towards Nathan he was getting ready to kick her back up in the air, but he saw her right foot on fire stretching down at him! "Whoa!" He yelped and rolled away just in time. Tanya would have killed Nathan with a huge dent in his chest if he didn't roll away. Tanya turned to my direction just in time to block a few of my punches. Then Tanya decided to do something uncalled for. She kicked me in the groin!

"ARRGGHHH!!" I yelled holding my groin in pain allowing Tanya to score a cheap shot, punching me hard in my head, giving me a severe headache. Tanya's too tough for us. If only we could use the environment against her somehow... Nathan tried to do a bicycle kick on Tanya, a move he learned from Sonya and Liu Kang, but Tanya blocked her face with her arms, so Nathan didn't do much damage. I immediately followed up and kicked Tanya in the stomach in revenge for her kicking my genitals! Then I picked up Tanya and threw her a few feet to the middle of the room. She is heavy, but not that heavy. "Garnet! I got an idea! The grinder!" Nathan said. I blinked. We just might win this after all! "All right! Go!" I nodded. As Tanya got up to her feet, Nathan came at her with another bicycle kick. Tanya threw her arms up over her face to protect herself. Nathan's kicks did little damage, only pushing Tanya 12 inches closer to the grinder with each kick. When Nathan finished his bicycle kick move, I immediately followed up to make sure Tanya doesn't recover. I punched her in the stomach a few times.

Those were critical hits since she's still sore there from my kick. Then I punched her face a few times sending her reeling towards the grinder. She is now only 5 feet away from the grinder. "Now! Nathan!" I called. "Yaaaah!!" Nathan leaped up in the air, kicking Tanya in ther face 9 times, causing her to back closer to the grinder. Nathan landed on the ground. "Finish her!" He called to me. I ran at Tanya, jumped into the air with my left foot stretched out at her. I kicked her in the chest then the momentum of my kick sent her flying straight into the grinder, causing her blood to gush out from the other end of the grinder. I sighed. "Whew... Tough fight... huh..." I felt like resting on the floor. "Yeah. Let's get Zagato and get the hell out of here." Nathan said. "Please, don't say 'hell' anymore. I've had enough of it." I shook my head, holding it because I still have a headache from Tanya's punches.


Meanwhile, back in Edenia, Kitana, Jade and Mileena were killing time, playing Ghostbusters Sanctum of Slime on my PS3. Mileena sighed. "I wonder if they're okay..." "I'm sure they're fine. Nightingale and Garnet may not be strong fighters, but they are smart fighters." Jade assured Mileena. Mileena looked back at Kitana, who is sitting on the couch doing nothing. "You're awfully quiet, sister. Come play with us. You'll feel much better." Mileena urged Kitana. Kitana slowly shook her head. "I'll feel much better when I have Zagato back with me..." Kitana grumbled. Mileena frowned in a sympathetic, remorseful way. Just then a castle guard entered the living room. "Princess Kitana, princess Mileena, General Jade, I have good news." the guard said. Kitana stood up. "Go on." She gave the guard a courteous nod. "Garnet and Nightingale are back... and they have Zagato with them." The guard replied.

Nightingale, Zagato and I were outside the front gate, waiting for it to open and let us in the castle. When the gates opened up, we saw Kitana, Jade and Mileena waiting for us. They were so happy to see us, Mileena gave me a big hug, Jade gave Nightingale a big hug and Kitana gave Zagato a big hug. "I'm so glad you'reokay, Garnie!" Mileena was in tears. "I'm fine, Millie, don't worry!" I grinned. "I knew you'd make it back in one piece! I just knew it!" Jade smiled as she hugged Nightingale as she cried. "It feels good to be back home with someone I love and care about." Nightingale said.

"Zagato!! I was so worried about you! Are you okay? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Kitana asked Zagato, checking his face for cuts and bruises. He did have cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, Kitty, I am." Zagato nodded. Later that evening, we had a welcome home dinner. Kitana was soooo happy to have Zagato back, tears fell from her eyes even though she wasn't sniffling or anything like that. "I've never seen my sister so emotional before... It's funny." Mileena whispered to me. I smiled. Later on, that night, Zagato, feeling full and tired, let his body fall on Kitana's bed. "Yes... Finally, a soft, comfortable bed. I thought I'd never feel anything this soft anymore..." He sighed in relief. He looked up at Kitana, laying next to him. "You've been crying for hours, haven't you?" He asked her. "Yes-- I mean no-- uh, I..." Kitana started blushing. "Kitty, I can clarly see that you were worried sick about me. I'm here now. There's no reson for you to be sad anymore." Zagato assured her. Kitana nodded. "You're right. There's no reason for me to be sad anymore. I was just worried that our baby would be fatherless" She said. "Well, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you, and our baby." He promised her. Before Zagato could say another word, Kitana was all over him, kissing his lips. Zagato, shocked and caught off guard was going

"Mmmm! Mmm!" trying to speak as Kitana was kissing him, but she didn't give him a chance to talk, and Zagato decided to shut up and enjoy making out with his future queen. A couple minutes later, Kitana and Zagato were stark naked in the bed. Kitana was riding on Zagato, sighing and moaning, for obvious reasons. Zagato's eyes nearly rolled back into his head as he experienced his own waves of pleasure. He eventually flipped Kitana over so that he is on top of her then he began thrusting as forcefully as he could, giving Kitana more pleasure than she can barely deal with. Zagato's endurance was being tested too. All that thrusting is wearing him out. "Ohh, Z... Ohh Z..." Kitana moaned as Zagato kept thrusting. Two minutes later, Kitana and Zagato had a huge orgasm and the almost immediately fell asleep, holding hands as they happily drifted asleep.