A/N: This fan fiction is placed after Mortal Kombat 9, after the death of Shao Kahn. Most of the ideas for this story come from Mortal Kombat: Deception. Please keep in mind that Mortal Kombat X is not used for any part of this story. Some timelines and details may not line up correctly due to the layout of the story. This is my first attempt at a MK fan fic. I'm still working on getting better at describing Kombat and fighting, so there is not a lot of violence. Unlike the MK video games, I have kept it appropriate for most ages. :) There may be some mistakes in terms of character's backstories, so please bear with me. If you have any questions or concerns, please voice them when you review and I will try to answer you or explain something to the best of my ability.

-Fangirl1019

Revelation

Prologue

"Very good, Etana. That attack could still be executed cleaner and faster, though."

Master Bo' Rai Cho walked in circles around his student and the dummy she was practicing on.

"I'm trying, Master," the young girl huffed. "It would help if you-"

"Remember, Etana, you are still in your young ages. You have not earned the right to speak so disrespectfully to another. You are not yet fully grown."

"But Master, I'm not that young. I've almost reached adolescence, and-"

"Silence, Etana," he interrupted. He gestured towards the dummy. "Again."

The girl, Etana, inhaled deeply before performing a handful of attacks, one after the other: a front and back punch, and a front and back kick. She finished with a gut kick that sent the dummy to the ground.

"Well done, but you need to start using more advanced attacks. Those are far too easy and simple for you."

Etana hung her head. "Yes, Master."

Bo' Rai Cho tilted her chin up until she was looking him in the eyes. "Self pity is a sign of weakness. Control it."

"I will, Master."

"Good. Now, let's work on another technique. This one is a little harder than the one you're used to."

Chapter 1

Five years later

"Two slices of ham, please."

The local butcher nodded and went to work cutting the large chunk of ham on the counter. He wrapped the slices in a thin sheet of parchment-like paper and placed it in Etana's basket. She pulled a few coins from her pocket and dropped them in the butcher's greedy hand.

She didn't give any thanks, nor did the butcher. She didn't have time today, for she wanted to go somewhere before Bo' Rai Cho wanted her back at sunset.

"Hey, girly! How about a nice necklace to go around that pretty neck?"

Etana glared at the man who stood at his small table of stolen jewelry. She had seen this man catcall other women over to the table, where he flattered them. He would walk in circles around them, touching their wrists, neck, or ears. Then he would slip off or unclip the jewelry while they were distracted, claiming it for himself to resell.

She knew she wouldn't be able to get past him today. He always tried to get her attention when she was in the market. So she threw on a smile and walked over to him.

"Who, me?"

"Yes, you! What's a pretty girl like you doing out here by yourself?"

Etana was attempting to not get angry, but he was making it extremely hard. She couldn't stand to be gawked over. "Oh, I can watch out for myself just fine, thank you," she said cheerfully. "Wow! What lovely jewelry."

The man grinned. "I bet this one would look just great on you."

He picked up a turquoise necklace and walked behind her. He brought it around her neck and clasped it. "Looks beautiful."

Etana almost shivered when she felt his breath on her neck. She brought her elbow back into his stomach and waited until she heard him groan and hit the ground. Then she grabbed the items on his table and threw them out into the street.

"Hey, my bracelet!" "My amulet!" "Wait... how did this get here?" "Oh, my necklace!"

Etana smiled and continued making her way through the village. She walked fast, knowing exactly where she was going.

She crossed a bridge over a small creek that lead to a thicket of trees. She came here often to think and try to remember her blurry past through meditation.

Etana had never met her mother or father. Bo' Rai Cho had told her that they both had been killed, but he had never explained how. Today, however, he had said that she was ready and that he believed it was time to tell her.

She was scared. She didn't know much about her parents or her past. It frightened her.

Etana sat on the grassy ground and set her basket aside. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly.

A sound behind her made her back straighten and her eyelids fly open.

"Hey, Ana, look at- oh, oops. Sorry."

Etana smiled. She knew who that was. She closed her eyes again. "Hello, Zeke."

Zeke and Etana had been best friends for as long as she could remember. When Etana was eight, she had left Bo' Rai Cho's house for the first time and was allowed to go into the village. Zeke had helped her. He showed her around and told her which houses to stay away from, and which ones were okay to sneak into. They got into so much trouble together. They were always causing ruckus in the market and accidentally 'misplacing' people's personal belongings. Now that they were seventeen, though, they couldn't do stuff like that anymore. They had responsibilities now.

Her eyes were still closed, but she heard the rustle of the grass, indicating where he was. She deduced that he had sat down in front of her.

"Are you busy right now? I wanted to show you something."

Etana sighed and opened her eyes. She would have to skip meditation today.

"Look," Zeke said excitedly. He held up a small box.

"Wow… a box. How intriguing."

"Come on, Ana!" He swatted at her arm, which resulted in a punch from her. He tipped over onto the grass in a heap of tangled limbs. "I barely touched you!" He winced and pulled back his sleeve, revealing a nasty red spot that would very likely turn into a bruise. "Why do you punch so hard?"

"Because I actually work hard! You know, if you want to be in the Kombat tournament you better start building up some strength. You don't want a girl like me to beat you, would you? How embarrassing."

"They wouldn't be able to beat me. I would distract them with my charm and good looks."

He flipped the dark hair that hung in front of his eyes dramatically.

Etana caught herself looking at his features longer than she should have. She blushed profusely and covered her cheeks as casually as she could. She rested her elbows on her knees so it seemed as if she were resting her head on her hands.

He was so handsome, whereas she was just, in her opinion, unattractive. She couldn't stand the way she looked. She looked nothing like the other people in the village, which was located in the Himalayas. It was cut off from the rest of the world, and no one (besides its citizens) knew where it was exactly. The village was kept hidden because of the interaction it constantly had with other realms. Etana believed she was from one of these other realms because of her appearance.

Her eyes were unnaturally green, (most people in the village had brown eyes,) and her long, thick black hair was nothing like the other girls' sleek and thin hair. Her skin was a dark bronze, whereas everyone else's was a flawless and slightly tanned beige. Zeke always told her that he liked the way she looked, and that he always heard the other village boys whispering about how pretty she was. She didn't believe it, nor would she ever.

Zeke, on the other hand, was fawned over by all the girls in the village despite his different blue eyes. He had dark hair, just like everyone else, though Etana could swear that she sometimes saw hints of brown.

Whenever the other girls saw her and Zeke walking together they would cross their arms and turn their back on Etana. Zeke would roll his eyes and sling his arm across Etana's shoulders, knowing that it would make them even more mad.

"Well? Are you going to open it or not?" He raised his eyebrows.

Etana reached out her hand and pulled the lid off the box. Inside was a teardrop shaped emerald set in a glorious gold ring.

Zeke picked it up and placed it on her index finger. "It matches your eyes perfectly, don't you think?"

Etana was speechless. "How did you afford this?" She examined it. Had he bought it from the man?

She suddenly looked up at him and gasped. "Did you spend all your work pay?"

Zeke had a job in the market. He had to scrape money together to keep his family of thirteen siblings fed. He was the oldest, so that responsibility fell on him. His mother and father had both recently died due to an incurable sickness.

"No, I made it. I mean, I had to buy the materials, but I made it… for you."

He looked at her with his ice blue eyes.

"You do like it, don't you? If you don't, I'm sure there are lots of girls in the village who would like it. It's okay if you don't, I just-"

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Oh, wait, you like it? Okay, good, I thought you didn't, and I thought that it was because I said the thing about your eyes-" He rubbed the back of his neck.

Etana smiled at him. Whenever he got nervous, he talked fast.

"-and I didn't want you to not like it because of something I said. By the way, does it fit you okay? Should I make it smaller? Oh, or bigger?"

Etana shook her head and touched his hand that was still holding the box. He stopped talking immediately and looked at her.

"Listen, uh, I need to tell you something, um… I-I know that we've been friends for a long time, but I wanted t-to say something. I'm not sure if it will ruin our friendship or not, so if it does I'll just leave, okay? That way neither of, um, neither of us will be embarrassed, okay? And I'll stop talking to you if you want, but I don't want to stop talking to you. I mean, that's only if things go wrong."

"Zeke." Etana took her hand off his. "What is it?"

"Well, um, I, uh, I've known for a while, actually, but I think I-I lo-love you. Is that too strong of a word? No, it's not, because that's what I feel," he paused and took a breath. He noticed that Etana's cheeks had flushed ever so slightly. He didn't know if that meant she was mad or if she was flattered. He knew how much she hated it when boys tried to claim her as their own. He hated it, too.

Her expression didn't help either. Her full lips were in a straight line. He couldn't tell what she was thinking or how she felt. Suddenly this all seemed like a bad, no, terrible idea.

"D-do you feel the same way I do? If you don't, please just tell me and we can both forget about this."

Etana didn't respond. He had no idea what to do.

"Elder Gods, help me," he whispered before cupping one side of her face and leaning in.

Etana seemed confused, and she leaned away from him. Zeke let go. His face fell when he saw her offended expression.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He cleared his throat and stood. He picked up the box and started to move away through the trees.

Etana sat in silence. Conflicted thoughts stormed in her head, most of them saying to let him go. It was better this way.

But others were saying to go after him. Don't let him go.

She shook her head and sprinted through the trees. The feeling of the rough ground beneath her worn boots fueled her as she caught sight of Zeke and grabbed the back of his shirt.

He turned his head around to see Etana. He had walked almost to the edge of the thicket, so how had she caught up with him so fast? She was barely out of breath.

"Before you say anything...I'm sorry. I never should have thought of touching you in that way. I don't know what possessed me," he said softly. "I thought that telling you how I've felt since the day I met you would be a good idea." He laughed sadly. "Guess it wasn't."

Etana finally spoke. "No, Zeke. I wasn't … I was just…" She didn't know what word she was looking for. "...shocked."

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"I feel the same way you do," she sighed. She had been denying it for a long time, but now she was finally being honest with herself… and him. "I haven't admitted it before because I feared you wouldn't say the same. I care too much for my pride."

Zeke took this in and nodded. "Good."

Suddenly, he leaned in again. Etana took half a step back, but Zeke was still successful.

Her eyes were wide as his lips met her's. She had a feeling that he had done this before, for he seemed quite sure of himself.

She stood still. Her head was straight; his was tilted. He was taller than her, so his head was inclined downwards, whereas her's was turned up. She felt awkward and clueless.

Zeke could tell that she wasn't sure what to do. He put his hand on her waist and his other behind her head. Finally, her eyes closed and she put her hands against his chest.

The moment ended all too soon.

Etana could feel Zeke's smile against her lips.

"Well?" he said, breaking the kiss.

"Well, what?"

Zeke chuckled and pulled her into an embrace. It wasn't like the casual, playful ones he usually gave her. This one had a deeper meaning to it.

"What do we do now?" She pulled herself back from him and leaned against a tree. She was slightly embarrassed for becoming so indulged in the moment.

He shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and held up his hand. Suddenly, his eyes glazed over black. From his fingertips came blue flames, the same color as his natural eyes. He moved his hand through the air, almost as if he were painting a picture. He wrote the phrase "nga kayrâng-la gawpo yö" in Tibetan script with the flames. It meant "I love you".

"Nga kayrâng-la gawpo yö," Etana repeated. She sat and stared in wonder at his amazing gift. He rarely showed it to her, and she was the only one who knew of it. The last time he had let her see it had been two years ago. He thought that it made him dangerous. She thought it was beautiful.

Zeke lowered his hand and watched as the flames slowly disappeared. He blinked several times as his eyes returned to their normal state. He cleared his throat.

"I've gotten better at controlling it. I haven't had an outburst since last month."

Etana smiled. Whenever Zeke got upset, his eyes would turn black. Sometimes people would look at him strangely for it, and he would have to calm himself to make it go away.

"And I found out why I have this… curse," he whispered. "My grandfather was from the Netherrealm. He was part demon. He passed it on to my parents, then to me." He looked up at Etana. "They told me before they died. I'm a demon."

"Part demon," said Etana. "You know, Ashrah came from the Netherrealm. She cleansed her soul. Now look at her. She's practically an angel."

Zeke nodded and glanced up at the sky. "Look," he said.

Etana followed his gaze and smiled. "It's been awhile since I've been able to see the sun set. I'm always inside trai-"

She gasped and startled Zeke.

"I was supposed to get back to Master Bo' Rai Cho by sunset!"

She started running as fast as her legs would carry her. "Goodbye, Zeke!"

"Will you be here tomorrow?" he yelled after her.

"Of course," she shouted back.

Zeke watched her run all the way back across the bridge, through the village, and to Bo' Rai Cho's house, until all he could see was the blur of her figure rushing inside. He smiled to himself. He had just won over the prettiest, smartest, strongest, and most chased after girl in the whole village. And he wouldn't let anyone or anything take her away.

A/N: This is pretty much all the romance there is going to be. I'm not doing a lot because I would rather focus on other things throughout the story, but I may put some other super tiny romantic moments.

I hope you all are liking it so far! Follow, favorite, and review! :)

-Fangirl1019