Smokescreen: A Collection of Vignettes

Chapter 42

Sakura jumped awake. She could have sworn that Smoke had been with her in bed. His body on top of hers had felt so real. She could still feel phantom kisses and the brush of his fingers upon her skin. He also had the smell of brimstone attached to him, like an aftershave. Unfortunately, the problem with the whole thing was that he was dead. He had died two years ago. Yet, since his death, she had been waking up with hickeys and teeth marks upon her body. Tomas Vrbada was the only man to ever touch her like that and she certainly didn't have another lover, nor would she ever.

Ever since Tomas had died, Sakura refused any further association with the Special Forces team or their godly ally, Raiden. She just couldn't be part of it. Thus, she returned to Japan and cut off all communication with them. For a while, life had been fairly peaceful. She was able to reintegrate into civilian life. Everything was what it should have been prior to the Mortal Kombat tournament. No gods or demons here. No warlords and their minions.

The young woman slowly let the past fade away and the pain she felt over her former lover dulled with time. She had taken up a job as a teacher to get her mind re-focused and re-centered. She loved her job and teaching young children. It had helped a lot. She had something to look forward to.

Ever since Sakura started teaching at the school she worked at, a few male teachers made passes at her. She brushed them all off. As nice as some of them were, none of them could ever compare to Tomas Vrbada. However, there was one teacher who was rather persistent in his pursuit of her. He was about a decade older, but he had that energy that reminded her of Johnny Cage. Sakura snorted. It didn't take long for her to shut him down.

She sighed as she finished her lesson plan for the next month. It was exhausting. She got up from her table and made a quick dinner of chicken and rice for herself. As she did so, she heard a news report come on. Normally, it was on for a little background noise, but the report itself was what caught her attention.

Sad news tonight as we report the unexpected death of an amazing teacher...

Sakura immediately turned towards the television, and she gasped when she saw the face of her former suitor on the screen. Gory details emerged as they got into how he was found and the state his body was. The room had been splattered in blood and gore; body parts strewn about. Chills ran up her spine as she relived her experience at the Mortal Kombat tournament. All of the bloodshed and violence...watching Tomas being murdered. She was about to change the channel when a strange detail came out.

Firefighters are trying to discover the source of a strange, brimstone smell...

"Brimstone...?"

The station was quickly turned.

=================

Red eyes glared at the remains of what used to be a teacher at Sakura's workplace. The revenant had found it rather satisfying to blow the man into bits. It would teach him to never mess with the woman he had always considered his. The revenant looked at the man's head before crushing it beneath his foot. Pathetic fool. He would always protect his violet-haired goddess.

Now, there was one more stop that he had to make before he returned to the Netherrealm. He always made this stop every night after Sakura retired for the night. He let his body fall back into smoke and sailed into the darkness. It didn't take long. She wasn't too far from where the pest had once lived. He slipped beneath her doorway and made his way into her bedroom.

There she lay. Sakura's face was so peaceful, haloed by her lovely hair, and glowing in the moonlight. The revenant took his place by her side, taking on his original form. His weight made the bed shift a little, but she made no move. He removed his mask, revealing his ghastly features and cracked skin.

"Tomas..."

Sakura desired him still, even in her dreams. To hear her call to him in her sleep drove him mad. The revenant thought for a moment. She was alone and separated from her former allies. Quan Chi would be pleased to have leverage against the Earthrealmers. Such an opportunity was quite rare. He would also have the opportunity to have her as his own slave. She would be bound to him for eternity.

Revenant Smoke ran a finger down her face, tracing her soft features. Her lips called to him, and he could no longer resist her. His beautiful siren.