Mortal Kombat Fan Fiction ❯ Of Butterflies and Blizzards ❯ Puns & Explanations ( Chapter 4 )

Two months had passed and she was slowly beginning to find her rhythm and he began to test her more. Throwing even more at her in the mornings. Now she would get pelted with snowballs, he'd jump out at her throwing punches or just sweeping her legs out from under her.

Even the other students began to help her when they were able to. They started rearranging small things, like scooching a footlocker two inches over or setting a table too close to the door. Even moving the blinds a few inches would result in her reaching up to fix it, sensing the warmth of the sun through the glass.

Even smells were much sharper and stronger. She could smell cologne and perfume before the person even walked past her.

'As in this case.'

"Master Bi-Han?"

"Good. How did you know?"

"You just shaved this morning."

He was impressed, "You recognized my shaving cream?"

"Yes. My father used to use the same brand."

"You never really talk about your family...why?"

She visibly recoiled. "I...uhh, its complicated."

He put a hand on her shoulder, "I understand. You don't have to explain."

"Thank you."

He chuckled, "I hear from the other students that you and my brother have started a battle of puns?"

She shook her head with a smile, "Something to break up the monotony. If I win, I get less training for the day."

"If my brother wins?"

She groaned, "More training."

"And how many times have you won?"

"None. He's good."

"Kuai has been building up his 'portfolio' of puns for some time now. Even Grandmaster Hasashi has grown tired of them."

She giggled. "So it just brings tear to your ice?"

He groaned, "Oh not that one! That was one of the first ones he came up with...too over done."

"I know once you keep saying them, it just all goes down the cube from there."

He laughs, "That one was actually pretty good. You should use that one."

"Use what one?"

She bowed, "Master."

"Isabeau. What is Bi-Han talking about?"

"He knows about the game of puns."

"I see. And you decided to shoot the freeze?"

"Ooo, good one."

"Thank you. What was the one he told you to use?"

"It all just goes down the cube from there."

He chuckled, "It is a good one. What do you think brother? Which one wins today?"

"I'll have to go with Izzy's. I've heard 'shoot the freeze' too many times."

"Because it is a good one. Very well. It seems you win today. Finally."

"Hey! I've been trying hard here. Words have hailed me, okay?"

Bi-Han laughed loudly. "You got to give the win to her now. That one was flawless."

"Alright. You will have less training today, but you will do a full day tomorrow."

She nodded and bowed. "That is if I don't win tomorrow too."

"Watch yourself, student." He had a tender tone to his voice.

Bi-Han studied his brother's interaction with Isabeau. He was leaned close to her in a relaxed position and he was smiling, his hands waving in the air as he spoke. And Isabeau...she was relaxed, leaning back against the wall, her head tilted up towards him, blue cloth over her eyes still and a cheeky grin on her face as they continued to fling puns back and forth. He smiled slyly.

They were flirting and didn't even realize it. 

'Well, hell, Kuai, I didn't think you had it in you.'

But they had to be careful as any other student that walked past could construe this the wrong way...which is the right way, but the two were so damn clueless.

Which makes them absolutely perfect for each other in his book.

He would talk to his brother about it later that evening. Right now he had training to get to.

"Brother. Isabeau. I will leave you to you training. I have to return to my students."

"Brother."

"Master Bi-Han."

"See ya around."

"Oh, that was not ice at all."

"An old one but still quite good."

/  -  /  -  /  -  /

She smiled as they walked, her ears listening to everything around her. A branch snapped.

"That one?"

"Rabbit. We spooked it."

"Good. The rustling leaves?"

"Its a bir-no a deer. A doe."

He looked at her surprised, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Light, soft steps. And a buck would have knocked its antlers on the branches just above it."

"Well done. You have started using information you already have to differentiate and catalog the sounds. Good."

"Thank you master."

"Please, you may call me Kuai. You are my student yes but as I am trusted with your training it is fine to call me by my name when it is just us two."

"Thank you, ma-Kuai."

"So you and your brother used to battle with puns as well?"

She stilled, her hands wrenching in front of her.

"Isabeau?"

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Why not? It seems like a happy memory."

"There were times that were happy, but it was a long time ago and it still gets brought up all the time."

"You are upset...angry even. I apologize."

"Don't." She moves to speak again but sighs instead.

"He died when I was little, okay? He...he was everything to me and he's gone. I've had to live with it. The guilt."

He understood why she was angry now. "You feel guilty for his death."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "He told me to stay put, but there was this butterfly...the most beautiful one I had ever seen and in winter too. I had never seen that before. I was so excited I ignored my brother and ran right after it. Right onto a frozen lake. When he ran out to get me the ice cracked underneath him and he went into the water. I was still so little that the ice had held my weight. I had tried to get someone to help me but by the time they got to him, he had already drowned."

A sob caught in her throat. 

He didn't know what to do...she was crying...he did not want her to cry. So, remembering what Bi-Han used to do when they were little, he placed his hand on her back and rubbed small circles, trying to comfort her.

"God, he was so blue when they pulled him out and I was only 7...I couldn't understand why he wasn't waking up but then when I finally did...that's when my ice abilities awoke. I nearly froze my mom. I had never been more terrified in my life."

"I am truly sorry that you had to suffer such a loss, Isabeau. But it is good to talk about such things instead of keeping them buried."

She sniffled, "Thank you Kuai. I am sorry too."

"Do not apologize. I should be the one to apologize, for pushing the issue."

"Why do you do that? Always turn another's apology into your own?"

That stopped him. No one had ever asked him about that. He didn't know...it probably stemmed from his childhood. He was always trailing after his brother and got used to apologizing for his behavior.

"It is an old habit. One I have not yet shaken free of."

"Well, then that is something you can work on and I will work on talking about thing more."

He chuckled, "Now who is the teacher and who is the student?"

"Its never too late to learn new things."

"Then I will try."

"And so will I."