Bi Han "Sub-Zero" x F!Reader

Five

"Lord Liu Kang.", you bowed respectfully to the God of Fire.

Kuai Liang did the same. Only Bi Han bowed his head, low enough to indicate a bow, but only the bare minimum. Recognising this, the god made a gesture to indicate that you could relax.

"We have been requested.", Kuai Liang said with a gesture towards his brother.

With a hum, Bi Han drew his black eyebrows together.

"All preparations have been made.", he said. "The Lin Kuei will be ready."

His voice scratched the back of your head. A crackle like lightning coursed down your arms, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Inhaling deeply, you closed your eyes and listened to the conversation. Glowing white eyes fell on you. You could feel the weight of the gaze, burning like fire, heavy as stone. It just wasn't human.

Although you weren't really human yourself. Partly. But also not really. Two beings lived inside you, trapped in the same vessel.

Blood flowed through your veins. Liu Kang's eyes made it boil.

When you met his gaze, he lowered his head slightly, as if he wanted to talk to you silently, to have an exchange. You frowned in confusion. But curiosity grew in your chest. You nodded. His eyes travelled back to Bi Han.

"Grand Master.", he had a pleasantly calm voice, firm but also with an accent that sounded like leaves in the wind. "We will have to hurry. Time is running out."

Bi Han frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Outworld begins to gather its troops. The signs are changing."

Curious, you cast a glance up at Kuai Liang. You've been on secret missions to the other world, the world of magic. Kuai Liang had been chosen to handle diplomacy between the military authorities. He could talk better than his brother.

With a slight shake of his head, he told you that he was unaware of such a change. But it had been several months since his last visit, so it was hard to tell what the mood was like in Outworld.

"Lord Liu Kang.", you bowed slightly so as not to appear rude. "How are we to know that this is a provocation? Outworld is a divided planet. The nations are constantly at war."

The God of Fire nodded in agreement. His hands clasped together. Lost in thought, his glowing eyes found the fire in the bowl.

A golden glow lit up his lightly tanned face, making his long, shiny black hair sparkle. With the black ink on his muscular arms, Liu Kang looked like a simple Chinese man. Only when his gaze fell on someone could you recognise the divine in him.

"I'm afraid we're running out of time.", he finally admitted in his endless silence.

It was rare that strong emotions could be heard in his words. You could never see anything even on his face.

When you thought about it, he was not entirely unlike Bi Han. While one man was trapped in a neutral state, the other could barely control his emotions. Especially anger. Two extremes of the same scale.

"Should we travel to Outwold to ask for an audience?", Kuai Liang asked.

"No.", Liu Kang lifted his gaze again.

His eyes glowed like fallen stars.

"Where does that leave us?", you asked. "This close to the tournament, it could be considered an irritation if Lin Kuei are caught in the lands."

"We'll go unnoticed.", Bi Han assured him impassively.

"We will not send out troops.", the God of Fire decided. "Instead, we will hurry to gather the champions. Training has to start soon."

"When?", you asked.

"Tomorrow we will take the first ones."

You frowned thoughtfully. Over the past few months, both the monks and the Lin Kuei had made many preparations. However, many had relied on the fact that they still had some time.

If everything started tomorrow, the preparations would have been two months in the making. You looked up at Kuai Liang again.

"I will report to Tomas.", he said and bowed to leave in a hurry.

Tomas and he had been chosen to train the champions. They had also prepared, but the youngest brother, Tomas, adopted by the former grandmaster, was still excited. This was his first really big task.

Bi Hab had freed him from his other duties, not least because he then had less to do with him. The three brothers were civil to each other, but the eldest still made a distinction between blood and status.

Tomas was a valued ninja within his ranks. But he would never be a born Lin Kuei.

With a heavy swing, the door closed behind Kuai Liang, leaving you, the Grandmaster and the God of Fire alone. Crackling filled the silence. Strange, considering there was no wood that was banned.

Your eyes travelled to your other side, up to Bi Han, who met you with a grim expression. Scoffing, he lifted his chin, his fingers twitching at his sides. Impatience grew within him.

"Is there anything else we need to know?", you asked to ease his tension.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Kang lowered his eyes. The fire twitched as he breathed, growing as if to fill his lungs.

"I thank you, Grandmaster.", he turned to Bi Han again. "But I must ask you to exchange a word with your right hand."

A twitch ran through the grandmaster's grim features. His gaze fell on you, you nodded. A muscle twitched at his jaw, but he bowed in farewell and left. Liu Kang waited until the door closed before he raised his eyes to look at you. He was serious.

"(Y/N).", it felt strange to hear your name coming out of his mouth.

"Lord Liu Kang.", you bowed your head.

The fire danced around his square jaw. But he was never burnt.

"I know the powers that run through your veins.", your fingers twitched at the mention.

No one but you and your parents had known exactly what powers you were born with. Even Bi Han didn't know. It was enough for him to know how powerful you were, how well you could defend the clan. Details were unnecessary.

But if the God of Fire mentioned this, there had to be a reason.

"How can I serve?", you asked.