Mortal Kombat Fan Fiction ❯ Of Butterflies and Blizzards ❯ A New Student ( Chapter 2 )

She sighed, shoulder dropping as her hand fell away to reveal the empty socket. Tears fell from the other eye, sliding down her cheek to dripping from her chin.

"I..."

Kuai uncrossed his legs and stood up, speaking softly but firmly.

"You are a prospect of the Lin Kuei, not a child. Dry your tears and answer the question."

Bihan snorted, "you are terrible at this, Kuai."

Kuai was confused. 'Terrible at what?'

He shook his head and turned back to her arms crossed. His eyes had held such disappointment.

Isabeau looked away, not being able to hold his gaze. 

He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You should have informed us of your disability at once."

She shook her head, looking up at him, tears drying on her cheeks.

"I did not wish for special or preferential treatment because of it."

Kuai was stunned, "So you would have accepted a fail without hesitation?"

"Yes, because then it would have been by my own lack of strength to overcome it that I failed."

He nodded, seemingly pleased with her answer and leveled a much more serious look at her this time.

"Then the matter is settled. From now on you will train with me."

She had laughed at first but after noticing his face had not changed she stopped.

"You are not joking?"

"No. You have made it this far in the training...you have the necessary skillset but you will need far more focused training to help overcome this disability than Bi-Han can give you. One on one training will allow you this."

"But you are a Grandmaster...surely you have more important issues to attend to?"

Kuai shook his head and placed his hand on her other shoulder.

"It would be unfair to fail you for something we had not known of. You will overcome this. I will help."

She looked back up to Bi-Han and he grinned.

"Hey, I've tried nearly everything that my limited time with you would allow. My brother's a good teacher but you will be put through your paces and pushed past your limit at every turn. It will not be easy, but if he can't help you overcome this...then no one can."

She nodded. "How can it be harder than what I have already been through? I can only try my best. That is all I can do."

Kuai chuckled, "Then I will take your best. We start tomorrow at dawn."

Her gaze snapped to his, "Dawn?"

He nodded and she groaned, flopping back into the bed. "Fantastic."

Kuai looked at her oddly.

Bi-Han laughed, "Oh boy...brother, she's not exactly a morning person. Maybe pick a more humane time for a mere mortal?"

He shook his head, "We only have 7 months before the trials...If she wishes to pass and become a member of the Lin Kuei...sacrifices must be made."

Izzy groaned again and waved her hand. "Fine. I'll get up, but at least allow me time to get some coffee."

"You will have 15 minutes to get ready."

She sighed, "So cold coffee it is..."

Kuai Liang only allowed a small smirk at her reply. He was calm about his choice but only the coming months would prove if he was right to take her on as his student.

Bi-Han laughed.

/ -  /  -  /  -  /

She groaned, rubbing her head over the bandage as she walked into the student quarters.

Safiyah ran at her, a worried look on her face.

"Izzy! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!"

Izzy smiled at her. "I'm fine Safi. No concussion and a small cut but no real damage."

Her friend's eyes flicked to her right eye socket questioningly.

The smaller woman laughed, "Well I suppose the cat's outta the bag now. Yeah I have a missing eye and yeah it sucks but it doesn't hurt. And no you didn't do it."

Safiyah sighed, "You could have just said something. I would have kept my mouth shut. So what did the grandmasters say about it?"

She scratched her head, "Well...I'm not leaving the school but I am going to have one on one training...with Grandmaster Liang."

"What?! Sub-Zero is going to train you?"

"You know he doesn't like being referred to as that title. He is the grandmaster first and foremost, Safiyah." 

The taller woman waved her off, "I know that! But its crazy...I mean he hasn't taken on a new student since the whole debacle with Frost."

"Yes, which is why I am going to go into this with everything I have. If he thinks I can overcome this...then I have to as well. I will not disappoint him."

Safi elbowed her, "It also has nothing to do with the fact that he's absolutely gorgeous too, right?"

Izzy rolled her eyes, "Safi! He is now my teacher. I cannot say things like that. It would be disrespectful as his student."

"Oh, that's okay. You can think it and I'll say it."

She groaned, putting her head in her hands. "I swear sometimes you..."

"I'm your best friend and you love me."

"Sometimes I wonder..."

"Oh haha...so when do you start training?"

"Tomorrow at dawn."

"Ouch."

"Yep. I'm doomed to early mornings now."

"Oh, the sorrow..."

Isabeau laughed, shoving at her friend before looping her arm in hers. "Alright, that's enough. Lets go get something to eat."

"Oh god, dumplings here we come."

They laughed again.

/  -  /  -  /  -  /

When he first approached her clutching the blue cloth, she had not paid it any mind but then he motioned to her.

"Turn around."

She had of course without hesitation. He was her teacher now.

As he slipped the cloth over her eyes, he noticed that her hair was quite soft and smelled lightly of roses. 

He shook his head and spoke.

"From today on, you will do everything with this on, training, sleeping, eating. There is not one place you are free to remove it. You will learn to live in darkness. You will hone and use your other senses to make up for your lack of an eye."

"Wait, I can't even take it off when bathing?"

His cheeks turned pink. "No. Blind people do not suddenly see in a bath, do they? You are blind as of now."

"Yes, master. How long will I be wearing it?"

"As long as it takes."

She smiles, "Well, 'freeze' the day and all that."

The pun had caught him off guard and he smiled, shaking his head.

"Good one, the bees freeze."

She laughed. "That's even better. When me and my brother were little we always tried to outdo each other. He had some real good ones."

"You have a brother?"

She grimaced. "I had a brother."

"My apologies."

She waved him off. "You didn't know...It was a long time ago."

He put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you ready for your first day of training."

She shrugged, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright. We will be targeting the sense of hearing, touch, and smell separately going forward. Each day will be a different sense but after a few weeks, I will switch the pattern up. Today and tomorrow we will be focusing on your hearing."

/  -  /  -  /  -  /

She stumbled again into a wall and grumbled under her breath. She had already bumped into six people, stubbed her toe twice, hit her elbow and knocked over 3 torches. And that was just today.

How was she going to do this for the foreseeable future.

A voice whispered at her and she smiled, "Safi. Oh is it good to hear you."

"What are you doing with a blindfold on?"

"Training. Apparently to help with my disability, the grandmaster wants me to wear this," she waved at her face before continuing. "for the foreseeable future or until I learn to use my other senses to his standards. How am I going to do this?"

She giggles, "Well remember when we would sneak out and the room was completely dark? Just think of it as one big mission to go get ice cream."

Izzy laughed, "Leave it to you to connect this to food. But thanks, Safi, I'll try that approach...hell I'll try anything to help."

"The funny thing is...that blindfold looks very similar to Grandmaster Liang's headband."

Her chest squeezed strangely at that thought.