Excuse any typos or mistakes. Also excuse any inaccuracies I may have made. I am not too educated in MK lore or in clans either. :/
Warning: Graphic violence and hints of domestic/child abuse ahead.
"New members?" Bi-Han questioned, his right brow raised. "We do not usually get new Lin Kuei members."
The elder in front of him just gave him a blank look, before leaving the teen's presence. Bi-Han had no idea who these newly recruited Lin Kuei members were. Nobody had joined the clan in quite some time, so this news had been quite a surprise. Nonetheless, he was ready to see just what these new members were made of.
Bi-Han quickly began to head towards his sleeping quarter, where he knew that Kuai Liang was residing currently. He felt the need to tell his brother of the news he had received. Perhaps this could even open up the chance of him and his brother gaining friends. The two, despite being kind and rather humble with other Lin Kuei members, had not become good friends with anyone. Arguably, their clan strictly prohibited friendships or relationships, only allowing trust to be held. Friends and lovers were only distractions and burdens, at least from what the elders and the Grandmaster would say. Still, Bi-Han couldn't help but feel just a hint of yearning for another companion.
Bi-Han entered the sleeping quarter, finding Kuai Liang watching the night sky from his window. The boy looked so focused, almost as if he were contemplating or pondering on something serious.
The teen decided that the news was more important than his brother spacing out. He went up to Kuai Liang, snapping his fingers near his face. The boy quickly jerked into a stern position, his face stone-like and serious. However, once his eyes recognized Bi-Han, his face smoothed out, becoming gentle and relaxed. He gave a small smile to his older brother.
"I'm sorry, Bi-Han." Kuai Liang mumbled. "I was looking at the night sky and lost track of time."
"Be more alert next time." Bi-Han warned, his tone a bit stern. "You don't know when an elder may come by. Both you and I know they do not like when a member is not focused on their surroundings."
The younger boy only nodded in response. Bi-Han could only give a sigh and a tiny grin. As he was about to talk with his brother again, he quickly remembered the news he was given.
"That reminds me, Kuai Liang." The teen started. "There are some new people joining the Lin Kuei."
"New?" Kuai Liang gave a fake tone of confusion. He knew exactly who they were.
"Yes. They'll be coming here tomorrow. Expect to see them in the morning."
Bi-Han began to turn away, ready to leave the room, when he turned around again.
"Kuai Liang... Do not try and befriend the new members. It is in the best of both of our intentions..."
Kuai Liang only watched as his brother left the room. He already knew he was due to befriend the newcomers, despite the rule prohibiting this. He knew that Cyrax and Tomas would be his friends, though their friendship would stay under the radar for a long time.
Sektor was the one he also knew he would never really connect well with. Even now, as a child, he seemed a bit too... out there. Being the son of the Grandmaster, it seemed at times as if he earned just a bit more pampering than the typical Lin Kuei member. Despite that, though, he still suffered the same vigorous training the others went through.
Even thinking back now, Kuai Liang could tell things were not due to change between him, Cyrax, and Tomas. The three stayed friends, at least until both him and Cyrax were cyberized by Sektor. He knew Tomas had saved him, and he had saved Cyrax, even if it meant the man/cyborg had sacrificed his life to save him. The three had fought for each other.
And even if Tomas was stuck in the Netherrealm and Cyrax had been lost in the Cyber Lin Kuei factory's destruction, Kuai Liang knew they'd always be friends.
He could not say the same for Sektor, for he was not there for him, neither for Cyrax or Tomas. He only cared solely for the Lin Kuei, never about his companions. He was the reason both him and Cyrax were corrupted in the first place.
Not anymore though. Kuai Liang made it his duty to try and prevent his good friends from being cyberized. He held no care for Sektor, both his old timeline form and his current form. He felt that any efforts he put into helping the boy would only be in vain.
All Kuai Liang could think about, while laying on his makeshift bed, were his two friends, the ones he had not had a chance to see for years.
Kuai Liang felt a tinge of excitement swimming inside his body as he stood still, lined up along with other Lin Kuei members. He watched as a few Elders began to appear from within the Temple, the Grandmaster walking in front.
The eldest members continued moving, till they stopped in their tracks. They slowly moved aside, kneeling to the floor, allowing two young boys to step forward. The first one, sporting a yellow outfit, looked around curiously, while the other boy, dressed in black, parted his white hair away from his eyes. Unlike the African boy in yellow, the pale Caucasian boy watched carefully, intrigued a bit. However, they both seemed to hold determination in their eyes as well. They slowly made their way towards the Grandmaster, who stood poised and tall.
"State your names." The Grandmaster's voice sounded.
The white-haired boy spoke first.
"I do not have a name." The boy's voice echoed. "And neither does my friend here. He was never given one. He escaped Africa in hopes to achieve a new life here in China. I do not have any memory of my life at all."
"How did you find out about the Lin Kuei?" The Grandmaster asked sternly. "Our clan is secretive, known only by its own members. If you have knowledge of its existence, then it is in our best intentions that we find out how you are aware of our clan."
"My friend was approached by a member of your clan, as was I." The white-haired boy said. "They wanted to take us by force, wanting to see if we could be capable of your clan's vigorous training."
"They tried to take us, but... I did something. I did some sort of magic trick and I was able to escape the clutches of your member. I helped my friend and we tried our best to fight against the two men."
"After they saw the thing I did and how skilled my friend was in hand-to-hand combat, despite his young age, they offered to take us again. They told us about being housed and taken care of by your clan. We had no other choice but to go. We only had each other's company to keep us alive while being in the streets."
The Grandmaster only gazed at the white-haired boy, while the boy with yellow tried to stay in position. Silence played out for a short period of time, the Grandmaster thinking deeply.
And it was only after 30 seconds that the Grandmaster finally spoke again.
"Show me your trick, young man." The man said loudly. "I want to see if you truly are qualified to be here or not."
Kuai Liang saw as young Tomas nodded, stepping away from the young Cyrax. The boy backed away a bit, putting a bit of distance between himself and the Grandmaster. The leader's eyebrows lowered in question as the boy paused and stood in a fighting stance.
Kuai kept his eyes on Tomas, as did all the other clan members. He waited to see that telltale power that he knew well.
The white-haired boy began to scrunch his face, while he began to quiver a bit. Some began to grow visibly confused and worried as they thought that the boy was only overexerting himself.
But, when they had least expected it, Tomas retracted his left arm to his side, while he positioned his right arm in front of his chest. At the same moment, the boy levitated into the air and shot forward, becoming a cloud of grey smoke. The cloud stopped right next to the young Cyrax, who looked at his companion with slight pride.
Tomas emerged from the cloud, which had rapidly cleared away, leaving only small traces of itself on the boy. Smoke puffed out from him as he looked to the Grandmaster, who looked relatively pleased.
"Very impressive, young man. Very much so."
Tomas only bowed a bit as a thanks.
"And what about your... 'friend'?" The Grandmaster said those words with just a little bit of venom. "Is he truly good at physical kombat?"
"Yes, he is."
"Well then," The leader said. "Let's test that claim."
"Kuai Liang!" He started. "You will face the unknown boy in yellow in Mortal Kombat."
Kuai froze. He didn't recall this occurring at all. He hadn't needed to fight Cyrax during his own timeline. What had he changed that caused this to occur?
"Kuai Liang! Come here and face your opponent!"
As much as he hated to do so, he obliged to the Grandmaster's demand. He walked away from the others, letting out a sigh as he slowly reached Cyrax and the Grandmaster.
"Now, we do not play lightly in this clan. If either boy is defeated, you are allowed to kill them. If you show them mercy, then you will be punished by being prevented from retrieving meals for an entire week."
Kuai Liang only nodded, as did Cyrax. The two got into fighting position, before the leader spoke again.
"Ready."
Kuai Liang gazed at Cyrax, his eyes painfully watching the boy he called his friend before.
"Fight!"
Cyrax got the first hit, as he quickly did a low kick to Kuai's feet. The Cryomancer quickly got back up and sent a fist flying towards the other boy's face. He felt his knuckles connect with a jawbone, a feeling he had grown to know well.
He quickly backed away as Cyrax delivered an uppercut, nearly hitting his lower jaw. Kuai backed away just a bit more, before he ran towards the boy and sent a hard kick to his body. The African boy tumbled to the floor in pain, tears pinpricked in his eyes. Despite that, though, there seemed to be that flare of determination in his eyes as well.
And that was what caught Kuai Liang off guard. He had not expected Cyrax to rapidly approach him. He also did not expect the boy to hastily fling a sharp rock at him, cutting a small opening on his forehead. And he had not expected the boy to pin him to the floor, punching him repeatedly in the face.
Kuai Liang panicked as he tried to escape Cyrax's clutches. He tried to push him off, but the boy just did not budge. He was running out of time now, as he felt himself slowly beginning to succumb to unconsciousness.
He had no choice. He needed to use more of his own Cryomancy now.
Kuai Liang focused deeply, shutting out the pain in his face. He began to focus the power of ice and cold into his hands. He needed to do it now. This was his last resort.
He rapidly began to freeze Cyrax in place, which let him escape the trap he was in. He got to his feet as Cyrax bursted out of the ice shell he was in. A scowl grew on the African boy's face, before he ran towards Kuai Liang again.
But, once he reached him, the Cryomancer simply side-stepped, before sending an ice-coated fist into the boy's face. That punch sent the boy to the ground, knocking him out cold.
Kuai Liang could hear a few cheers as he heard the Grandmaster speak over the other sounds.
"Finish him!" His voice sounded out, tone dark and pleased.
Kuai Liang looked up instead, gazing at his brother, who only watched with no expression at all. He then looked to Tomas, who had sadness veiled over his face. He finally stopped and looked at Cyrax, who was beaten badly and bleeding from his nose and some cuts on his face.
He simply shook his head.
Kuai Liang put his hands to his side as they went back to normal. He looked to his leader, who already began to grow angry, as shown by his expression.
"I said 'Finish Him'!"
Again, he shook his head in disapproval.
"There is no shame in showing mercy, Grandmaster." Kuai Liang began. "I believe everyone needs a chance to show that they are capable of being great. I believe everyone deserves a right to live. I believe he deserves a second chance."
The Grandmaster quickly walked towards Kuai Liang, before he smacked him hard on the face.
"Do not dare defy me, you spoiled child!" The man hissed lowly. "I took you in only because of your father's reputation and the powers you and your brother inherited. If it weren't for those two things, I would have left you two out on the streets to die!"
Kuai Liang only stared intensely at his leader. He could hear quick, small steps coming their way. Something inside him knew it was his brother.
"Do not speak or treat my brother like this, Grandmaster!" Bi-Han loudly spoke. "You can treat me that way, or even treat my father that way... But I will not allow my brother to simply be smacked around and yelled at!"
"YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORITY TO SPEAK THAT WAY TO ME, YOU IMPRUDENT BOY!"
"Do whatever you'd like with me! I hold no care anymore! But, just spare my brother this one time!"
The Grandmaster looked at the two brothers with disdain and disgust.
"Send Kuai Liang back to his sleeping quarters. He shall go hungry for this entire week."
"And Bi-Han? You're being spared an intense punishment. You, too, will go hungry. Although what you did was beyond disrespectful, I do respect the leadership and responsibility you employed to help your brother."
The brothers sighed softly.
"Thank you, Grandmaster." Bi-Han mumbled, bowing to the man, before grabbing his brother's arm and taking him back to their sleeping quarters.
Kuai Liang looked back one last time, seeing Tomas aiding Cyrax, who was still collapsed in the floor.
He wished he could help his friend.
"What on earth were you thinking, Kuai Liang?!" Bi-Han shouted. "He specifically told you not to spare the opponent. It was a simple direction. All you needed to do was strike him one last time!"
"But brother, he is just a boy. He is my age! I don't want to kill someone like me!"
"Kuai Liang, listen to yourself! We are assassins! Ruffians! We are not saints. Our duty is strictly to just kill anyone we are tasked to kill!"
Kuai Liang looked at his brother with shame.
"Perhaps it's time we moved away from our genocidal past." He said. "We should be wasting our efforts for the betterment of Earthrealm!"
Bi-Han only shook his head in response to the statement.
"Earthrealm does not need our help. They are doing fine just on their own. They don't need assassins, thieves, and mercenaries to help protect them. They need heroes, like the Great Kung Lao, to protect them!"
Kuai Liang wanted to continue ranting, but he felt it was pointless. He needed to cool off instead. His brother needing to do the same.
He looked out the window again, seeing the sky beginning to grow dark with clouds.
This new life proved to be harder than he had anticipated.
...
"Are you sure you can handle this?" The man asked. "This is not an easy thing to do. You will be training night and day for the rest of your days here. You will not be given mercy if you choose to neglect our rules. You will be taught our lifestyle and you will hold it to heart till you die."
"I am doing this for my mother." The boy murmured, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I do not care for myself. I am joining for her sake and safety."
The man only nodded.
"And how are you aware of this clan?"
"My father was once a member." The boy now looked at the Grandmaster. "He prohibited me from ever joining, but now that my mother and I are suffering from poverty, I am willing to sacrifice myself to retrieve what we need to survive."
The older man nodded again.
"A very honorable cause." He admitted, his voice soft.
The Grandmaster extended his hand. The boy took it in his own grip and shook it.
"The Shirai Ryu welcomes you, Hanzo Hasashi..."