It Was Inevitable

Liu felt so much crashing on him all at once: Fear, anger, but most acutely, and perhaps most irrationally… he felt hurt. The latter emotion was what caused him to abruptly dismiss himself from the dinner table and make a bee-line for his and Kitana's chamber, his wife trailing right behind him.

The logical part of him knew he was being completely ridiculous. After all, this point in time was bound to come sooner or later. All children are bound to one day become adults, and that meant doing… adult things; why should it be any different with his children? If he didn't feel so hopelessly distraught at the moment, he'd be laughing at himself, especially given that all of his children had been alive for centuries! It was all so ludicrous, but all still so painful… too painful for him to face just yet…

After what felt like hours, Liu finally made it into his and his wife's chamber. He made his way out to the balcony, his head sagging forward as he leaned against the railing. Kitana came in shortly after. Part of her was angry at him for his childishness, angry because he knew his abrupt departure was likely making their daughter feel unnecessary guilt. But upon seeing him hunched over at the balcony, likely fighting tears in his eyes, a part of her could not help but sympathize with him. She felt the same hurt too, but was much more pragmatic about it. After all, their little girl was not so 'little' anymore.

Slowly, Kitana came up behind her husband, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Right as her fingers made contact, Liu whirled about.

"You actually permitted this?!" he hissed to his wife, his heart flying like mad behind his ribs and chills running down his spine. Kitana blinked, partially surprised by his shock and anger.

"Darling there was nothing for me to permit. Mytaliah's over seven-thousand years old! She's at the age of majority… all of our children are." she reasoned.

"But she's going away with him… for days!" Liu spluttered.

"For Argus' sake Liu, you're being unreasonable…" Kitana chided, arms folding beneath her breasts. "Mytaliah and Kuroku are in love, anyone with eyes can see that. And they are at a good age to have… relations, if they so desire."

"Ai-yah…" Liu grumbled, rubbing his suddenly throbbing temples. "Why did I not see this coming?"

"I believe you did. You just didn't want to believe it." Kitana challenged. Liu shot her a glare which she met head on, daring him to persuade her of otherwise. His gaze eventually diverted, head slightly shaking.

She was right after all: He had noticed how close his oldest child had been with her boyfriend lately, how she put time with him above time with the family more and more. How she always seemed to be looking for Kitana in order to have private but "really, really important" conversations that she would not tell him about. Liu had walked in on a few of these conversations too, he realized in hindsight: Sometimes he would come into his chamber or study and find Kitana and Mytaliah there, sitting close and apparently engrossed in one of their talks, conveniently going silent the moment they saw him enter the room. Now, Mytaliah revealed that she and Kuroku were planning to go the Royal Family's summer home on the island of Aoi Nanmei… and they would be gone for a few days, totally alone. His emotional mind did not want to believe what he knew in his rational mind they would be up to while they were gone.

"She's been talking to you about it, hasn't she?" Liu asked warily. Kitana's gaze softened, and she gave a nod.

"Yes, she has been coming to me… asking for advice and wanting to know how to protect herself." she answered. "I had thought to tell you, but Mytaliah asked me not to. She was afraid of how you would react… that you would be angry, and hurt."

"And you aren't?" Liu asked.

Kitana gave a shrug. "A bit I suppose… but it was bound to happen at some point. It already happened with Zian long ago I am sure… with how flirtatious he is. Where was all of your upset then?"

Liu raised his hands in a yielding gesture. "You're completely right Ai Ren. I'm being completely unreasonable, and I know it. It's just…" he gave a somber chuckle, "… she's my little girl."

"I know Darling, I know…" Kitana crooned, wrapping her arms around his brawny middle and resting her head on his chest. Liu wrapped his arms around her, kissing the crown of her head.

Liu sat in his and Kitana's study, reading over an OIA report from Outworld. It was fairly late, and Kitana had retired to bed just a few minutes earlier. Liu offered to stay up and finish reading the last bits of the week's correspondence, but the wide yawn that parted his lips told him that he may end up joining his wife before he was completely finished.

Suddenly there was a tap at the door. Assuming it was said wife, he called, "I'm coming to bed soon Love. You don't have to wait."

Slowly the door opened up. "It's me Baba." came Mytaliah's gravelly voice.

"Oh, Mytaliah…" Liu said, eyes quickly averting from her in both slight shame from his earlier reaction, and lingering hurt. He had not seen her since dinner.

The Oldest Princess, clad in a flowing grey robe of silk and straight, thick tresses of ebony draped down her back, slowly approached her father meekly and seated herself in a nearby chair.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked contritely.

"Oh Honey, I'm not mad. I never was." Liu said, finally meeting those lovely, worried pools of blue that she inherited from her mother.

She inherited most of her attributes from her mother. She had grown to Kitana's same height, perhaps shorter by a fraction. She even walked like her mother, spoke a lot like her as well. Most pointedly, especially now that she was older, Mytaliah looked like Kitana almost to a tee: Liu was amazed at how she developed the same high cheekbones, thin and pointed nose, and naturally flushed lips. Most frighteningly, she developed Kitana's same astonishing figure; something he inwardly dreaded but knew would likely happen: Edenian women, he had noticed, were all quite statuesque, and both Mytaliah and her younger sister Kiyonei had followed the trend. Aside from the occasional facial expression or utterance in Mandarin, her ebony, feathered mane was the only prominent trait she clearly got from him.

Liu's mind suddenly flashed back what felt like just a few instances ago, when Mytaliah had just been a toddler; back to two black pigtails tied with bright blue ribbons, rounded and rosy cheeks, and large blue eyes tearfully gazing up at him while she presented a bruised thumb for him to kiss. Liu loved all of his children equally, but he and his oldest little girl, his very first child with the woman he loved, always had a special bond.

And Mytaliah had been a little girl for quite a long time. For the first five years of her life, she aged like a normal Earthrealm child, but then the process drastically slowed. It took an entire seven-thousand years for her to merely reach the point of being the equivalent of eighteen, yet still, somehow, in Liu's mind it all seemed to pass by so fast; and he was not prepared for that.

"I'm sorry Baba. I should've told you Kuroku and I had been wanting to go away for the weekend." Mytaliah said. "You know… if you don't want me to go I'll-"

"No… no Tali, you don't have to do that. Don't let me ruin your plans…" Liu reasoned, reaching out and grasping her hand. "You… you aren't a child anymore, I realize that… or my mind does. My heart just needs a little time to catch up."

"I get it." Mytaliah replied. "I still should've told you something though, you know… about Kuroku and me getting closer."

"I wish you would've… but I can understand why you didn't. I mean, it's not a topic a girl exactly wants to discuss with her old man." Liu wryly said, both of them chuckling. He paused, releasing a slow breath. Much more seriously, he then asked, "But… I mean, he isn't putting any sort of pressure on you, is he?"

"No Baba. Kuroku wouldn't do that to me." Mytaliah answered with surety. "He's a sweet guy… and he was very patient. And we talked about it all for a while before-"

"'Before?'" Liu asked, his heart dropping. "So then… you both have already…"

"… Yes." Mytaliah replied quietly. Liu heaved another sigh, his hand scrubbing down over his face. He sat that way for a while, and after a few tense moments of silence, Mytaliah asked, "Are you okay?"

"… Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Liu sighed, turning a sad smile to her. "I suppose you couldn't be a baby forever."

Mytaliah smiled, giving a shrug. "Suppose not."

"He's good to you though, isn't he? He treats you well and respects you?" Liu asked, though he already knew the answer. He had seen Kuroku with his daughter. The young man was always kind and very respectful, and he had never seen them fight or argue. They had been close from the time they were young, and he always watched, perhaps a bit over-protectively, as they and their relationship blossomed and matured. Their love was still in its early and most passionate stage, but it was strong and true; much like how his and Kitana's had been in the beginning.

"Yes Baba… I couldn't have asked for a better guy than him. He makes me so happy…" Mytaliah answered, a dreamy sort of smile coming over her face as she thought of her beloved. Liu gave a genuine one at the sight of it: It made her look even more like Kitana… how Kitana would look when she saw him.

"You love him, don't you?" he asked.

Mytaliah nodded slowly. "Yeah… I really do."

"Then I am happy for you." Liu said. And he was: Seeing his daughter this happy and in love for the first time did so much to quell his anxiety. "Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. And don't be afraid to come to me… about anything, alright?"

"I promise. And I won't be, not anymore." Mytaliah replied, leaning forward to embrace her father. Liu returned the hug tightly, and continued to hold her for several long moments.

"… Um, Baba… you can let go now." Mytaliah awkwardly mumbled.

Liu shook his head. "In a few centuries…"

Yes. I am still alive. Sorry for the lack of activity here, but if you follow me in other places you know I've rationing my efforts in a few other areas. Plus I have this annoying thing called a job that eats up time.

Anywho... this originally was going to be part of 'Tales of Liutana II' but I excluded it for some reason I can't remember now... Well, Kitana got her obligatory Mother's Day oneshot, so Liu naturally should get one for Father's Day. I'm starting to feel the rusted gears come loose, so you may get an update sometime in the next week or so.

Hope everyone is enjoying their day with their Old Man, or similar figure if applicable. Please review and enjoy!