A Champion's Return (Mortal Kombat Fanfiction)

Together Again

   Kitana walks among the trees of the Lin Kuei Forest, the snow crunches every time she took a step. It's been only a few mere months since the Edenian Princess was restored from being a Revenant for the past twenty years. But that didn't mean her memories from being a undead warrior of the Netherrealm were forgotten. Kitana was haunted by those memories every day.

    As a Revenant, she was the killer Shao Kahn wanted her to be, having no mercy against her enemies. There were times that the blind swordsman Kenshi or even the Thunder God Raiden had to comfort the princess whenever she woke up screaming and crying over the horrific actions of her undead self. And whenever she trains with either with the Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero or with SF agents such as Johnny Cage's team or even with Sonya Blade whenever the general had time to spar, the Edenian could feel a dark part of herself trying to take over and become the cruel assassin she was as a Revenant. There were times where she had to stop training in order to calm down. It's just not the same without her close friend Jade. Of course the Edenian bodyguard was also resurrected by Quan Chi, but she went missing, possibly managed to break free of the necromancer's spell, and is now resting peacefully in the heavens. It was also not the same without a certain Shaolin that gave her a chance to fight against Shao Kahn in the first place.

   "Liu Kang. . . " the princess whispers, her heart aching deeply as she stops by a fallen tree before using her fans to blow off the snow so she can sit. There were times that when someone goes to comfort her from her nightmares, Kitana would often wish that the former Champion would walk in and gets her in a warm, comfortable embrace. Oh, how she wished that Liu Kang would've been restored to his kind hearted nature, so she wouldn't have to go through all the suffering. Unfortunately, Liu Kang wasn't even close enough to the Princess as she was being restored, so to Kitana, her champion was still a Revenant roaming the Netherrealm.

   "If only you were closer," Kitana blinks as a tear drop falls onto the tree. "Or was your grudge against Raiden strong enough for you to remain as a Revenant?" The princess then reaches into a pouch of her assassin attire to pull out a red headband that the Shaolin wore before he died from Raiden's accident. When Kitana heard the Thunder God's side of the story, she was shocked, but fully understood Liu Kang's death, even though the Revenant version of the Shaolin told a darker side of it. Then again, it was Quan Chi's spell that made Liu Kang crueler, always thinking of revenge against Raiden for 'killing' him that day when Shao Kahn was destroyed by the Elder Gods.

   Snap! A branch breaks nearby, causing the Edenian to jump to her feet with her weapons at ready. She may have trouble training with her allies, but that doesn't mean she's going to stand down from someone that's an enemy.

   "Whoever's out there, show yourself!" Kitana declares, ready to strike an opponent if she has to fight back. Soon there was a shadow moving in the trees, coming closer to the princess. She still stands guard until the shadow yelps, revealing itself as a wolf as the wild dog scampers by Kitana, as if it was startled by something. . . Or someone, to be exact, when a figure comes halfway into the clearing. The stranger was unrecognizable, since they were wearing a long cloak that covered everything but their feet.

   "Who are you?" the princess demands, opening her fans.

  "Just someone who wishes to see how strong you are," stranger's voice revealed that he was a man. But the voice was also familiar, as if Kitana heard it from somewhere.

  "Have we met before?" she asks the tempting question.

  "You'll have your answer if you defeat me," the man replies before taking stance. The cloak opened for Kitana to see silver bracers on the man's wrist while his hands and some of his fingers were wrapped in bandages.

  "I accept your challenge," the princess says before running towards the stranger to throw swings at him. He dodges all punches and kicks before the man catches both fists after crossing his arms.

  "Not bad. Show me more," the stranger says, some light going in the hood for the princess to see the man smiling. Her heart twinges as she felt that this encounter was Deja vu to her, as she remembers the first time she was in a situation like this one. Could it be?

  "You're just wasting my time," the princess impersonates her frustration, testing the stranger as she yanks her hands away before she swings her left leg at the man's head. He ducks before being surprised at Kitana's right leg tripping him to the ground. Kitana then slams a knee on his chest before she points the tip of a closed fan at the man's face that's still covered by the hood of his cloak.

   "I can kill you easily if you don't tell me who you are," Kitana smirks. However, the smirk disappears when the man starts laughing. 

  "What's so funny?!" Kitana demands as she gets off the stranger to let him get back on his feet. That's when the Edenian notices that the man was wearing red Shaolin attire with scars decorating his upper arms.

  "The last time we sparred, I was the one to knock you to the ground," the man chuckles, surprising the princess senseless. Could it really be. . .

 "I will only ask you one final time, and I demand the truth," Kitana tenses, not wanting to believe who she think the stranger is, yet with a racing heart. "Who, are you?"  

  "After those hints, I think you know the answer," the stranger says before completely removing the cloak. Kitana gasps at the sight of the man's identity. His face was all too familiar, despite the fact he now has scars flashed over it with his left eye being blind. The princess couldn't resist the tears of joy running down her face. She had no control over her body as it moved on its own. Before she knew it, she was in the arms of the Shaolin that she thought she would never see restored.

   "Where have you been, Liu Kang?" Kitana tearfully asks, embracing the fighter as if she was afraid of losing him again. "I thought you would never be restored."

   "I thought the same when I saw you become restored," Liu Kang places a careful hand on the Edenian's face. "I kept thinking about you until I realized that I can fight back against Quan Chi's curse like Kung Lao did. Even though the price for breaking free was to retain the battle scars from my fight against Raiden."

  "I missed you so much," the princess looks up to the taller male.

   "I missed you too, my princess," Liu Kang smile before placing a kiss on Kitana's forehead before embracing her once more, as if to warm her up from the cold.

  This is how reunions should be, the Shaolin secretly smiles as the princess returns his embrace. Liu Kang may no longer be the Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat, but deep within the fighter knows that he was Kitana's Champion. And the both of them know that they will probably be inseparable in the future. But that part of their story has yet to be told in another time.