An attempt at a series of short stories, following the adventures and introduction of one family in Earthrealm. Contains a whole freaking family full of OCs and their relationships with members of the MK universe. These stories take place years after Armageddon, which will be explained later on.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the MK characters or locations or any of that matter. Anything that is not already in the MK universe is possibly mine but I don't really care too much if anyone wants to take my stuff at this point because well... who would want it?

These stories will have a low rating for now but I have no idea what is going to happen next so it might go up. If you have any questions about the relationships that aren't answered in these stories, just leave them in the comments, they'll probably be ignored and you will have to just wait to read the rest in order to find out.


The Story of Riley- Part 1

One would not expect that an abandoned temple in the Pacific Islands would be so cold in the summer time. A secret temple, on a secretive island that very few humans have travelled to. This seclusion from the rest of the global society is for the best, however. As most people of earthrealm go on about their daily toils they do not need to worry about the dangers that threaten their home, both foreign and domestic. But regardless of the nature of this strange island, the temple, which for thousands of years has been one of the homes of the Lin Kuei, was really really cold. And for Arashi, standing in the chambers reserved for the Grand Master, high officials and... honoured guests, it seemed colder than ever before.

Arashi was new to the clan. Recruited no more than a year ago as I write this. He was young, tall, strong, well disciplined, and as far as his masters could tell, the boy knew no fear. That is, until this moment. He was not alone in this room. His Grand Master, Sub Zero, sat before him on an elaborately designed thrown. To his right on a smaller, equally elaborate, yet seemingly out of place thrown, sat a woman whose soft ageless beauty masked a wisdom far beyond anyone's guess. This was the one moment in Arashi's career as a member of the Lin Kuei that he feared the most... his mother found him.

The two family members had not lost eye contact since Arashi stepped into the room. Sub Zero's gaze travelled between the two, his face emotionless. His true feelings about the unorthodoxy of the meeting, and why he allowed it to happen... and why he wanted to witness it for that matter, have still gone unanswered by the Master. Arashi looked as any child would when caught in the act of doing something behind their parents back, like a deer facing high beams. Unable to fight or flight, or brace for the verbal impact he knew he was about to receive, the boy just stood there waiting for his mother to draw the first blood. His mother, on the other hand, simply smiled and sat well poised in her chair, sipping from a cup of warm tea her host had graciously provided her previous to her sons arrival.

Finally, after her tea was finished, the guest spoke. "So Riley, your master here has told me that you are proceeding at an extraordinary rate with your training." Arashi kept silent and expressionless. While he did not hate being called by his given name, he had been so accustomed to being called Arashi. And to have his Grand Master find out that he did lie over something as trivial as a name, was to say the very least, embarrassing. 'This is nothing,' he thought to himself, 'she has only just begun.'

"Of course, I am not surprised to hear this." his mother continued on. "You've always worked hard to make sure you were on top. Always pushing yourself to do better. And always wanting to stand out from the rest of the family. Your father had always thought you would go join the White Lotus, of course I knew better. The Lin Kuei offer you far more thrills and adventure than the White Lotus could. And discipline, I know how upset you are when people get out of order."

She paused, smiling as she glanced over at her host and then back to her son. Arashi at this point kept his head up strait, but his eyes were on the floor, avoiding the sight of both his master and his mother. "You know," she started again. "I remember when you were no more than seven, a baby bird had fallen out of its nest. You brought it back to your father's temple and tried so hard to take care of it. You kept it warm, fed it, nursed it back to health. You carried that little bird on your shoulder everywhere you went. I believe you named it Tip. And when that bird flew away you were so upset,"

"Mother please stop," Arashi shyly tried to interrupt his mother's story.

"You cried and cried 'why would Tip leave me?'" the woman continued, ignoring her sons humble attempts to end his punishment. "'He was my birdy. I took good care of him. What if he gets hurt? What if an animal eats him?' I tried to tell you that all birdies leave their nests when they are ready. But you did not want to hear it. You wanted your little Tip back so you could feed it, keep it warm and love it."

Arashi's mother paused, waiting for the moral of her story to set within her son. "I'm not mad at you for leaving. I'm not even that mad at the fact you never bothered to say good bye to me or your father. I knew exactly where you were going. You may have just found out who you want to be just a few years ago, but I've known you all your life. It also helps that I happen to know Sub Zero as well, and while he did know that you were my son this whole time, I assure you... me finding you hear was all my workings, you master told me nothing."

Arashi raised his head starring wide eyed at his mother, in shock at the knowledge that she had known his master. "How do you know Sub Zero?" he asked, forgetting the formalities he normally associated to when referring to his master. His mother sank back into her chair looking over at the Grand Master of the Lin Kuei. Though he had grown older since they had first met, time had been gracious towards him. He looked just as strong as he did when we was a young man taking part in his first Mortal Kombat tournament. Of course his face looked much wiser, and his hair much thinner and grey. "Sub Zero and I go way back. Before you were born. He is a good man, and I trust him with my life. I also trust him with yours. That is why I am allowing you to stay with the Lin Kuei my boy."

Arashi's gaze fell to the floor again. The bird story was bad enough, but to actually say out loud that she was giving him 'permission' to join the Lin Kuei, in front of his master. The boy made a silent prayer to the elder gods that they might at that moment grant him the gift of invisibility.

The woman then stood up out of her chair, and made a slight bow towards her host. As Sub Zero called for a guard to escort her from the Lin Kuei base to her husband's temple, Arashi's mother walked over to her son, who towered over her, and gave him a big hug. Pulling away and holding his shoulders in her arms she whispered a stern warning, "The Lin Kuei have had a very rocky past. Politics change every day. Promise me that your loyalties will be to Sub Zero first, even through death, your loyalties are to Sub Zero." She then kissed her son on his cheek, and carefully wiped away the smudge she left on his face plate.

Arashi stood there, not too sure what to think of the command given by his mother. He was quite sure Sub Zero had not heard what she had said, and when it came to strange words of wisdom given by his mother, he figured it best he kept it a secret.

As he stood contemplating the message, his mother was already preparing to leave. "Well," she said to her son's back. "Don't you have anything to say to your dear mother who came all this way to see you?"

A smile crept over the young man's face, hidden by his mask. A spark. A brief flicker in his brain of a sarcastic humour that his mother should be able to appreciate. A moment of defiance, to show the woman that her attempts at guilting him would not phase him any more. He was not a little child easily swayed by his mother's emotions. "Yeah," he said turning to face her. "Don't tell father my father where I am please and thank you."

The woman gave her son a large smile as a bit of laughter left her mouth. She turned towards her old companion, "Good bye Sub Zero, thank you for having me here." "Good bye Ms Dowe," Sub Zero returned the farewell and walked away. He had other pressing matters to return to, and Arashi, Riley Dowe, was left in the really cold chambers alone as he watched another Lin Kuei walk his mother out of the temple. He was finally free to do what he wanted. He was always free to do what he wanted, he just never knew that.