Smokescreen: A Collection of Vignettes

Chapter 24

Very sweet and very sad. You have been warned.

"No matter how many times time is restarted, we'll always be blocked by your infinite light."

Dark Smoke struggled to breathe. He had shielded Sakura from Dark Mileena's assault and took a fatal blow. He had already known that he wouldn't survive Armageddon. He knew he would be just another face in Titan Shang Tsung's army that would be cast aside. So, he was grateful for Sakura, a woman who never existed in his timeline. He was grateful for her light. Grateful that she ended the war.

Violet eyes filled with tears. Dark Smoke moved to wipe her eyes. It was little wonder why other iterations of himself was so drawn to her. He had never felt loved and here she was caring for him. This was a battlefield. He wouldn't have blamed her for leaving him to die with the thousands that lay dead. Why didn't she?

"Why...are you...helping me?" He asked.

"Because I want to. You don't deserve to die alone." She responded.

Dark Smoke coughed up blood, staining his armor further. His strength was slowly leaving him. He slumped against Sakura's shoulder, her breath warm upon his face. It was better to die a warrior's death. It was what he lived by as a warrior of the Lin Kuei. He had attempted to kill her after all. Yet, he was struck by her compassion.

"Your Smoke...is so...so...lucky. Maybe...in another life..."

He couldn't finish his sentence. Tears began to fall down his face. In another life, he would have married her hands down and basked in her love. They could have had children. He took a slow, deep breath. How safe he felt. He took a close look at her. She looked like an angel with the way the moonlight fell on her, a halo of silver shining around her head. At least he would die happy, and her beautiful face would be the last thing he would see. He would carry that lovely memory to the Netherrealm and hold it deep in his blackened heart.

"I've...never been...kissed by an angel." The dying man said. "May...I...?"

Sakura helped him sit up and allowed his lips to touch hers. Dark Smoke pulled back and gave her a grateful smile before he closed his eyes and took his final breath.