Come Back To Me

Summary: In spite of his best efforts, Noob Saibot hasn’t forgotten his past completely. And he hasn’t forgotten his brother
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for all games in the Mortal Kombat franchise, up to and including Mortal Kombat 11; AU; violence; suicidal behaviour

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It would be easy, so easy, to claim he’d lost all memory from before. If he pretended he had nothing left of his past, what he’d become would be held back by nothing. The look of hurt betrayal on his little brother’s face wouldn’t affect him, because he’d feel nothing. No pain. No regret. And if he felt nothing, carrying out Kronika’s will would be so much easier.

That was why he was here. At the factory where Frost had been responsible for turning the Lin Kuei. No one was there now, of course. Scorpion and Sub-Zero had seen to that. But it gave him somewhere to think. Not only that, it gave him somewhere to purge himself of all the unwanted feelings, memories, emotions that refused to leave.

The factory was in darkness. That suited him well enough. Even before, he’d always preferred the shadows to the light. Now, the darkness was the only place he felt home.

But even the darkness couldn’t give him solitude now. He couldn’t let go of his past. Couldn’t give himself over entirely to Kronika’s mission while a part of him remained Bi-Han, even if the majority of him was Noob Saibot.

Shadows shifted, indicating another presence. He melted back into the darkness, faintly curious. Who else would be drawn to the site of the Lin Kuei’s downfall?

A flash of blue had him withdrawing further still. Emotions sparked even stronger, awakening long-dead parts of himself as he recognised the form of his younger brother.

Kuai Liang stood, with his head bowed, at the edge of the shadows. His whole body was still, almost unnaturally so. But as Noob Saibot watched and listened, he heard a faint murmuring; saw a drop or two of moisture land on the floor.

The younger man was crying. It was a sight so unfamiliar, so alien to Noob Saibot, that it punctured something deep inside him. If he’d still had one and his life didn’t come from the shadows that sustained him, his heart would have broken.

The shadows were his home now. They shouldn’t give him away unless he wanted them to. Unless he willed them to.

But in spite of all of that, in spite of his desires, something must have given him away. Because Kuai Liang’s head jerked up and he peered into the shadows. Any semblance of grief was gone as he dropped into a fighting stance. “Who’s there?”

Noob Saibot knew what he should do. Leave. Not allow his little brother to see him. No good could come from him revealing himself. Even if he wished things could be different, they weren’t. It was better, would be far better, to retreat further into the shadows and allow them to spirit him away.

He couldn’t say what made him do it. What made him step out of the shadows and into Kuai Liang’s view. Maybe he was tired of always hiding in the shadows. Maybe seeing his younger brother so vulnerable and obviously grieving had awoken something inside of him he’d assumed had died off years ago.

He didn’t know. But he revealed himself to his brother. He stepped out of the darkness and into the light.

Kuai Liang took a step back, his movements jerky. Ice surrounded him; sharp, jagged icicles pointed at Noob Saibot. The floor under his feet became ice. He didn’t lose his stance, his hands raised defensively in front of his face. “Bi-Han.” His eyes widened, as if the name had slipped out without conscious thought. “Noob Saibot.” He corrected himself, a bitter note in his voice.

“You are grieving.” Noob Saibot paused. His voice sounded…different. Not quite right. He gave a sharp shake of his head and held up his hands. “I am not here to fight you.”

“That would be a change from every other time I have seen you.” Kuai Liang took another step back, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet. The ice didn’t disappear and his hands remained in a defensive posture in front of him. “If you’re not here to fight, what are you here for?”

“To purge myself.” The words slipped out before Noob Saibot could stop them. He raised his hands, preparing to defend himself if it became necessary.

But he didn’t want to fight. He didn’t want to fight Kuai Liang. He didn’t want to fight his brother. Not again. No matter how weak it made him.

Kuai Liang narrowed his eyes. “To purge yourself?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Haven’t you done that already? How many innocents are dead because of you? Perhaps it’s easy to blame what you’ve become on someone else, but even before you became Noob Saibot, you were a killer. Haven’t you already purged everything good in you?”

Everything good. Noob Saibot hadn’t considered what he’d done, what he’d become, until now…when he saw what he’d become through his brother’s eyes. Kuai Liang’s words were like hitting him in the face with a bucket of cold water: a shock to his system. He was shaking his head. “It’s not….” His voice trailed off. What could he say? What excuse did he have to give? He could blame Sektor for what had happened, but that didn’t change that it was him who’d done it. Blaming another didn’t take the responsibility away from him. “You are right.” The words were a whisper. “But I have not been able to purge myself. Not of my emotions. Not of my past.” He stepped forward, closer to his brother. “No matter how much I tried. No matter how much effort I put into it.” His voice was so quiet, the words were barely audible to his own ears.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kuai Liang slowly lowered his hands.

Out of the corner of his eye, Noob Saibot saw shadows leeching away from his hands and arms. But they weren’t just dissipating. Skin was left behind. The skin that had belonged to him before he’d lost his life and his soul. He raised his head to look at Kuai Liang again. “Perhaps the shadows have nothing left to hold onto.”

“Do you expect me to believe you’ve changed? That you’ve seen the light? After everything you’ve done and chosen to do?” Kuai Liang took another step back, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I looked up to you for so long. I didn’t want to believe my brother was capable of so many monstrous things. How much blood stains your hands?”

Noob Saibot…no, the shadows were fading; Bi-Han was resurfacing, fighting through the darkness that had taken him over for so long…he looked down at his hands. The transformation was travelling slowly up the rest of his body. He could feel the shadows draining away. But as they did, the numbness that had covered him for so long, protecting him from the many crimes he had committed, fled too. Guilt exploded, white hot and slamming into him like a physical blade.

He didn’t realise his own ice sword was plunging towards his chest until Kuai Liang grabbed his arm and yanked it back. “You don’t get to take the easy way out.”

The ice faded from Bi-Han’s hand. It shook him to his core. Noob Saibot had been a creature of shadows and darkness. He’d never been able to access the powers he’d wielded as Sub-Zero while he’d been Noob Saibot.

As if suddenly realising that they were touching, Kuai Liang dropped his hand and took another step back. Ice still swirled around him, all sharp and jagged edges surrounding him like a protective shield. “Why are you trying to trick me?”

“I’m not.” The words no longer belonged to Noob Saibot. The words and voice were all Bi-Han now. “I’m not…trying to trick you.” His voice faltered and his body drooped. “What have I done?” His voice was thick with guilt. He dropped to his knees, his legs unable to hold him up anymore. His hands shook and he curled them into fists to try and stop them. “Kill me.” The words were uttered hopelessly.

“Bi-Han.” The name was uttered in a low, disbelieving voice. The sound of footsteps indicated Kuai Liang was drawing closer. “How is this…?”

“I do not know.” Bi-Han’s voice was tired, weak, even to his own ears. “I came here to try and get rid of my past, but that’s no longer possible. To become Noob Saibot again would be to hurt you and others. It would be better, far better, if you kill me. Or let me kill myself.” He left unsaid that he couldn’t live like this.

“No.” Kuai Liang knelt opposite him. “If our situations were reversed, you would never allow me to die.”

Bi-Han’s laugh was bitter and disbelieving. “Of course not. But you would never have made the same mistakes I did.”

“And if I had even started on the same path as you, you would have dealt with me the same way as when we were younger.”

Bi-Han finally raised his eyes to Kuai Liang’s face. “What you’re talking about won’t bring anyone I’ve killed back.”

“No. But perhaps it would help with the guilt threatening to take my brother away from me. Again.”

Bi-Han held eye contact with Kuai Liang for several long moments before he finally nodded, accepting his brother’s words. Accepting his decision. He watched as the ice melted and Kuai Liang stood up, then reached a hand down to help Bi-Han up.

The edge of the assembly line provided a makeshift seat for Kuai Liang to sit down. He shuffled back enough to make a lap and Bi-Han allowed his little brother to pull him across his knees. He shifted a little, so that he didn’t feel like he was about to fall onto his head, and then settled quietly in place.

The first smack was harder than he’d expected. He managed to avoid making a sound as his brother’s hand swatted every inch of his bottom, until his thighs were swatted, each in turn, and then he couldn’t help a low groan escaping from him.

Bi-Han hadn’t ever been in this position himself, even when he’d been a child. When he’d been old enough to take responsibility for his brother, before Sektor’s poison had taken true hold, he’d had Kuai Liang in this position enough times that both of them knew the ritual by heart.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to him that Kuai Liang followed the same pattern Bi-Han had when taking his brother in hand. The firm, steady swats were delivered spaced evenly apart, in a pattern that went down to his thighs and included his sit spots.

Bi-Han’s eyes began watering; not because of the spanking (it stung, but he’d experienced far worse pain), but because, by spanking him, his brother was giving him another chance, instead of leaving him to suffer in guilt alone.

After four full circuits of swats, Bi-Han was trembling over his brother’s knees. The shadows were entirely gone, but the guilt remained entirely. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I know.” Kuai Liang’s voice was soft.

He said nothing else, but a moment later, Bi-Han felt his pants being lowered. He took a deep breath and tensed up as the first swat to bare skin landed.

It stung much more on his bare bottom and it didn’t take long before more tears were trickling down Bi-Han’s cheeks. He forced himself to stay still and submit to the punishment, even if he couldn’t help whimpering as his sit spots and thighs were targeted once more.

“You murdered the family of my best friend.” Kuai Liang didn’t stop spanking as he spoke, the smacks emphasising each word. “I want you back, Bi-Han. You’re my brother and I love you.” His voice grew hoarse as he continued, “But you’ve committed a lot of crimes. I can punish you and I can forgive you for what you’ve done to me. But you’ll have to make amends with the others on your own. And trust will take a long time to earn back,” he warned.

“I know.” Bi-Han’s voice was shaky as he whispered, “But if my brother can give me a chance, I will willingly give up any chance of the others trusting me or accepting me. So long as you’ll let me stay by your side.”

“I missed you.” Kuai Liang’s voice faltered. “I missed you when I died. And I missed you when you came back, because…you weren’t you. You weren’t my brother. You abandoned me.”

“I did.” Bi-Han’s voice was raw with guilt as he continued, “But I won’t again. I’m sorry I left you. I’m sorry for everything I did. But if you accept me back, I swear on everything that’s important to me that you won’t regret it. Please believe me,” he whispered.

“I will. Until you give me a reason not to.”

The spanking had stopped and Bi-Han felt his brother’s hand rub gently over his back. He let himself slump slightly, rubbing at the tears that still continued to fall, as his pants were moved back into place and he was helped up.

As soon as he was on his feet again, Bi-Han wrapped his arms around his brother in a tight hug. “I’m here,” he whispered, his voice filled with awe. “I’m back…and I won’t leave you again.”

“I hope not.” Kuai Liang breathed deeply and hugged Bi-Han strongly in return. “I know I’ll have to answer questions and interrogations when we leave here, but for now….”

“For now, we can just stay like this,” Bi-Han finished. “And when we go back…I’ll do everything I can to prove that you’re right to believe in me. To make up for all my crimes.”

The End