"Lord Liu Kang, welcome.", the woman dressed in magenta fighting gear bowed her head in greeting, the tone of her voice similar to the purr of a cat that was about to attack.

"Thank you, princess Mileena.", Liu Kang greeted her with a friendly expression.

"You remember my sister?"

"Of course.", his voice slightly shifted as his glowing eyes fell onto the black haired woman adored by blue and silver. "Princess Kitana."

The princess bowed her head as well. One was more stunning than the other, both beaming with noble pride but also elegance and strength.

They were beautiful, but just to the eye but also the atmosphere that seemed to surround them like a veil. It was easy to tell that these two were princesses without even having to ask.

"They are...", Johnny had to bite his tongue as Kenshi placed a quick slap on the back of his head as a warning.

And you also couldn't hide the displeasure that his comments caused in you. It made you feel like he had eyes for another.

Why the hell did you feel this way all of a sudden?

Back at the temple you could have sworn you hadn't felt anything like this. Or maybe you had just lied to yourself. And if you were honest with yourself there hadn't really been any competition thus far.

Again, you had to frown upon your own thoughts.

What competition?

Johnny and you weren't a thing. Whatever you had it wasn't exclusive. So you had no right to be the way you were in this moment.

You decided to suck it up and swallowed a deep breath. But your mind just couldn't leave the thought of him being drawn to someone else.

"Fuck...", you muttered under your breath.

"Realisation struck?", Kung Lao asked with a grin in his voice.

"If you don't cut it I'll cut you.", you hissed back and bowed as Liu Kang began to introduce his champions.

"May I introduce Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, (Y/N), Kenshi Takahashi...", the god of fire did a gesture. "And Earthrealm's champion. Raiden."

Raiden bowed respectfully.

"I hope you're prepared, Raiden.", there was a kind of amusement visible on Kitana's face. "Our champions are determined to win."

"None more so than me.", Mileena agreed. "It's been too long since we've known victory."

Her voice send shivers down your spine. This woman was a person of respect, one of the kind that only had to say a word and was immediately fit to take the roll of a leader.

She impressed you, beautiful though not weak nor naiv.

You hated to admit it but she was a woman of class. And it made you feel lesser. Not worthy to be compared or battle her.

It had been a wise decision to leave this in Raiden's hands.

"Princess Mileena.", a woman with skin as dark as the trunks of the trees appeared next to the princess, dressed in a uniform of silver and yellow that adored the tone of her dark skin. "We should be on our way. Empress Sindel awaits."

"Thank you, Tanya.", the princess agreed and did a gesture to invite everyone. "Follow me, please."

When Liu Kang had warned that Outworld could be overwhelming for the mind, you had expected him to be talking about the beauty of nature.

But as you were pulled through the streets in an ancient carriage by strange cow-like creatures, you realised what he had been trying to say.

Outworld was strange. Not in a negative sense, but there were some things you couldn't understand how they could exist.

Strange figures danced in the streets, music and singing made the rosy leaves of flowers sail across the blue sky.

Most of the faces looked human, but Kitana had explained that not even she herself could be compared to a human. Even though she looked exactly like a normal woman.

You weren't quite sure what to make of her words. Just like you, the others were as equally impressed or confused by what their eyes showed them.

Only Johnny was his usual self, filming whatever he managed to get in front of his lens. Excited, he nudged you with his shoulder to gesture towards a creature that had eight arms.

Irritated, you frowned. But it wasn't because of the strange things you needed to accept as real in that moment. It was his behaviour.

How was he able to act as if nothing had happened?

He had totally hit on each of the princesses. You weren't delusional it was as obvious as dawn that he fancied them for whatever reason.

Unable to hide the jealousy that nestled in your heart, you threw a glance over to Kitana.

The young woman was so gracefully, so kind and soft looking. Like a princess by the book. She sat as straight as a statue carved from the finest of marble.

And she was stunning.

Her hair fell over her shoulders in long, black waves. She had a slim face, perhaps a little pale but not boney. And the silver and blue kissed her beauty as much as the sunlights of the day.

Yeah, you could see why anyone would try to get with her. Though she did not seem very impressed with Johnny's attempts at chivalry. Her sister even less so.

You hated to admit it but you could feel a bit of relief. It soothed your mind to know that his chances were less than just slim.

No existent even, perhaps.

And yet, you couldn't shake off the feeling of being an idiot. It wasn't your place to be jealous.

And if so, he wasn't at fault.

Neither of you had made any attempt to specify the situation between you until now. Over the weeks and months, you had simply slipped naturally into behaviour that was very close to that of a romantic relationship.

Perhaps a little too close.

And in the heat of the preparations, you had neglected to clear the air. Perhaps the time had come when a serious conversation was needed.

Your fingers dug in the fabric of your trousers.

Why were you afraid of this?

Even though you knew the answer, you didn't want to say it out loud. But you were afraid that he wouldn't want to put a label on what was between you.