Hello everyone! I've had this story in my head for a while now but never had the motivation to write it. I'm not sure how active this fandom is but I hope you enjoy the story. This story starts from MK9 and I'll follow as close to the games as possible. I will post this story here as well as Tumblr. Thank you!

Chapter One: The Tournament Begins

"Yue?"

I had just pulled into my driveway when my phone began ringing. It was six in the morning, and I just got off shift from the hospital. Normally when someone would call my cell this early, I'd let it go straight to voicemail - but something told me to answer.

"Hello?" I greeted wearily, taking my long hair out of its bun. I swear if it's another one of these spam calls, I'm changing my number, I thought as leaned back in her seat, running my fingers through my hair.

"Good morning Yue, it's Bianca with hospice." Immediately, my eyes went wide. I sprung up in my seat, not prepared for what she was going to say. "I'm so sorry... your father passed peacefully in his sleep-"

I didn't remember anything else Bianca said after that. I felt... numb. I knew his death was coming, but, as childish as it sounded, I didn't want to believe it. He was the only family I had left and now... I felt more alone than ever.

As soon as I ended the call, I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I broke down, sobbing into the steering well. I knew I should be thinking of funeral plans, what to tell my job, do anything but cry but I couldn't bring myself to.

It wasn't until my car door was ripped off its hinges, did I stop crying.

"What the hell?!"

My cry was cut off as a hand wrapped around my arm, throwing me onto the pavement. I gasped, coughing for air, as I tried to look at who or what was attacking me.

My vision was blurry, but I could see a figure - a man, dressed in strange dark clothes... was that armor? Everything was covered in black, aside from his eyes. In his hands were two swords that looked stained with something red.

I raised my hands in defense as the figure stalked forward. "Look, I don't want any trouble-"

He swung at my middle, and it tore my scrubs, cutting into my skin. I hissed in pain, quickly stepping backwards. I stared at the man again. Please tell me this is some kind of bad dream, I thought hopefully, noticing that I was bleeding.

"Please, I have money, take it!" I pleaded, moving back whenever he took a step forward. He stayed silent and skillfully twirled the blades in his hands, his eyes void of any emotion. I quickly realized if he wanted anything, he would've taken it by now.

I quickly scanned my surroundings. My neighbors were maybe a mile away, all around me were trees, if I screamed for help, no one would hear, and my phone was still in the car.

My best option? Run.

I quickly turned on my heel, ready to sprint as fast as I could and call for help. A sharp pain spread across my back, and I cried out, collapsing to my knees. I coughed, blood sputtering from my lips.

The man placed the blade under my chin, forcing me to met his eyes. He shook his head, as if he was disappointed for some reason, but stayed silent.

I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth. I'm not dying today.

I outstretched my hand and looked over at the puddle of water underneath my car. The liquid rushed up my arm, and I swung it back, forming it into a whip, and smacked the man's knees.

He grunted and stumbled into my car. I stood, struggling to keep my balance, my heartbeat ringing in my ears. I reached for more water, fashioning it into a longer whip, and aimed for hands. The water wrapped around his blade, and I tossed it as far as I could, away from him.

"Fuck!" I grimaced, clutching my stomach wound. I threw my arm harder than I needed to and judging by how much blood I was losing, I didn't have much fight left in me.

My attacker noticed this and quickly swung at me with his other blade. I raised my hands to protect myself, trying to make a shield with the small amount of water I had left.

"AAGH!" Electricity zipped around me and my eyes flew open, noticing the man now writhing on the ground, electricity consuming his body. What the fuck-

"Yue Takahara." A clear voice spoke. I looked up to see a man, dressed very... strange, with bright blue eyes - both eyes were completely blue? Lightning danced around him, never harming him once.

I gulped, hoping this guy was on my side. "Who are you?"

"I am Lord Raiden."

"Hellooo? Yue?"

I blinked, Liu Kang's voice bringing me out of my thoughts. He waved his hands in front of my face and I rolled my eyes, swatting them away. "I'm fine, just remembering some things."

He raised his eyebrow. "Like?"

I gestured to everything around us. "What brought me here."

It's been four years since that day. Raiden saved me from whoever that assassin was, and brought me to train with the Shaolin, where I met Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Eventually, they turned from annoying thorns in my side to being my family, brothers.

They taught me how to properly use my abilities to control and manipulate water. 'The fist is the source of all arts, the leg is the base, the root of the fist' I remember our master telling us.

Now, here I was, with my brother Liu Kang, about to fight in Mortal Kombat, for the first time. To say I was nervous is an understatement - I'm terrified. But I wasn't going to back down. I'm here to protect Earthrealm.

It was funny to think that years ago my dreams and aspirations were to be a nurse, saving people inside a hospital. And now, I was participating in a deadly tournament to help protect the world.

The only thing missing was Kung Lao. I missed him dearly. It didn't feel right doing this without him, but no matter how much I begged, I was told Liu Kang is the chosen one, not Kung Lao.

"I miss him too." Liu Kang said, as if he could read my mind.

I sighed, frowning. "He should be here. He deserves to be here just as much as we do."

"I know-" Raiden gasped beside us, clutching his head. I exchanged looks with my brother as I placed a comforting hand on the thunder god's arm. "Lord Raiden! What is wrong?"

"Are you alright?" he seemed to be lost in thought like I was, but there was fear in his eyes. Something was wrong.

He shook his head. "Strange visions..." he looked down to his hand, and we noticed his amulet was now cracked. That can't be good.

"Your amulet!"

"It is nothing, Liu Kang." Raiden replied, placing it in his pocket. "The tournament begins." We focused on our attention in front of us, watching as the monks as well Shang Tsung, with Princess Kitana and Jade, entering the courtyard. The monks sat down in front of Shang Tsung before he spoke. "Kombatants. I am Shang Tsung! In the coming days, each of you will fight. Some are here of their own volition, others were brought here by chance. You participate in the most important Mortal Kombat in history! This tournament, the tenth after nine Outworld victories, will determine Earthrealm's fate. If you defeat all of your opponents, you will face one final challenge... me."

I chewed on my bottom lip, crossing my arms. "No pressure at all." I mumbled sarcastically.

Liu Kang gave me a gentle smile. "We will be fine." he assured.

"That old geezer's the final challenge?" a man next to us exclaimed. He stuck out like a sore thumb - he was the only one wearing a full suit with sunglasses. Definitely from Earthrealm, probably somewhere in Hollywood. He did look familiar... "They might as well give me the belt right now." he glanced at the woman soldier behind him. "They do have belts, right?"

Shang Tsung appeared behind him, clearing his throat, catching the man off guard. "What? How did you-"

"Appearances can be deceiving." the sorcerer replied before levitating back to his throne. "Our first kombatant will be Mr. Cage!"

I gasped, finally remembering the man. That was the Johnny Cage! My dad loved to watch his movies even though I thought they were terrible.

"Do you know him?" my brother whispered.

I shook my head. "No, I know of him. He's a movie star - what is he doing here?"

Raiden shot both of us a look, and we quickly straightened, stopping our conversation. "As Shang Tsung said, looks can be deceiving."

Johnny Cage looked pleased to be the first to fight, striding forward to the arena. "That's right! That's right! Who's it gonna be?" his cockiness reminded me of Kung Lao, but even my brother wasn't that annoying.

"Reptile!"

At the rooftop of the arena, a creature - a man? - materialized and jumped to the floor as the monks applauded.

"Nice stunt!" Johnny complimented. "Who's your agent?" He must not know what he's getting himself into.

"Begin!"

"All right, it's showtime!" Cage exclaimed, getting to a fighting stance.

What I thought was going to be an easy fight with Reptile easily taking down the movie star turned into Johnny Cage, showing off his incredible martial arts skills. He took down Reptile with ease, much to my surprise.

"He got caged!" Johnny laughed after giving Reptile the last hit. "That's it, ha haa! Oh yeah! I'm so pretty!"

I looked up to my brother and Raiden, who both shared the same look of annoyance as I did.

"And I'm takin' you down, I'm takin' you down, I'm takin' you out, I'm takin' you out, and I'm taking you out-" he stood in front of the woman from earlier, "for dinner!"

She rolled her eyes, sneering. "Ugh!"

"Your second challenge, Mr. Cage. Baraka!" Shang Tsung announced.

Said challenger roared and jumped to the arena, the monks applauding the warrior. Baraka was scary looking to say the least. His teeth were long and sharp and his eyes were yellow and black. I shivered, looking away from him. This guy was something I would see in my nightmares as a child.

"Hmmm, ok... nice makeup, but is it reeeallly necessary?" Cage questioned. Baraka unsheathed his blades that protruded from inside his arms. It was like there were a part of him, like Wolverine. Cool, but still scary. "Woah!"

"They will taste your flesh!" Baraka growled.

Johnny somehow still had energy left after his fight from Reptile. This fight wasn't as easy as the first but the movie star still came out victorious. Baraka fell to the ground and Johnny stood over him. "I love those blades! My producer has got to meet you! We're doing 'Tommy Scissorfists', and-"

"Congratulations, Mr. Cage." Shang Tsung commented. "Now, finish him."

"Finish him? Yeah right."

"Kill him!"

Cage looked at the crowd, noticing how a majority of the arena stared at him in anticipation. His eyes widened as he raised his hands. "Woah! Woah, woah, wait a second! I'm not gonna kill anyone!"

I noticed my brother shot a confused look at Raiden but he said nothing.

"Very well." the sorcerer did not look pleased as he rose from his chair. "The tournament will resume at dawn." he departed the arena, the monks leaving as well.

Raiden caught Johnny before he left. "You fought well." he commended.

"Thanks." he said, distracted as he looked over us. Probably looking for that soldier from earlier. "Nice hat." I rolled my eyes. I doubt he knew anything.

My brother didn't appreciate his nonchalant demeanor. "You should be more respectful of Lord Raiden. He is the protector of Earthrealm, the God of Thunder, the-"

"Look, I don't know what kind of role-playing you guys are into, but count me out." Cage interrupted.

I glared at the actor. "This isn't some kind of game or movie. The fate of the world is pretty much in our hands."

Liu Kang nodded before explaining, "This tournament is more than a chance for personal glory. We are fighting for the very survival of Earthrealm."

Still, Cage didn't look convinced. "What are you talking about?"

"Your last opponent was Tarkatan." Raiden said. "He was born with those blades."

"Yeah." Johnny scoffed. "Those things are real."

"He represents Outworld. Had you lost, the Emperor Shao Kahn would have come one step closer to physically absorbing our world into his."

"Outworld, yeah right, right."

"The Elder Gods created the Mortal Kombat tournament to give Earthrealm a chance to defend itself." Raiden continued. "But if we lose this time, Shao Kahn will conquer all."

"Dun dun dunnn!" Johnny dramatically threw up his arms. "Look guys, I'm an actor. I save the world for the cameras. If this emperor is really a threat, call the military. Me? I've got a date with a blonde. Ciao!" he gently slapped Raiden's arm and left.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "It's like talking to a brick wall!"

"What do you see in him?" my brother asked the thunder god, watching Johnny as he left.

"He is a hero, you two, though he may not yet know it."

Liu Kang and I were sparring to pass the time. This used to be a challenge, but after training so much with him, I knew his moves. It was the same for Kung Lao as well.

"You're holding back, Yue." my brother taunted, rocking on the balls of his feet.

I smirked, conjuring a stream of water between my hands. "You sure about that?" I took a deep breath and focused on my energy. I watched as the water hardened, forming two long blades.

He looked surprised, but proud. "Katanas? Hmm, sharpening your skills I see."

I rolled my eyes. "Just as cheesy as Kung Lao."

He charged first, throwing a flurry of punches at me. I blocked, holding up both blades and used my strength to push him back. He brought out his nunchaku, twirling it around his body - show off.

Fighting with my brothers was sometimes difficult, especially with Liu Kang. He could conjure fire while I could control water. Despite the opposites, we always were evenly matched, no matter how hard we tried. But, when we fight together against others, it's incredible, to say the least.

With the three of us training for years, it's like we read each other's minds. I already know what moves my brothers will use, and vice versa, which makes us stronger against our opponents. We were stronger together - without Kung Lao, our team felt incomplete. I know we could easily win this tournament, but not without him.

I lunged forward, cutting at his chest. He dodged, wrapping his nunchaku around my blade at pulling it out of my hand, shattering. I summoned the water up my arm just as he created a fireball in his palm.

He shot flames, aiming for different areas of my body - legs, feet, arms, chest - but each time I blocked with my blade that eventually broke from my brother's intense heat. I quickly shifted the water I was holding to a whip, swinging it about in a circle. He mumbled something about me being a showoff, and I giggled.

My brother jumped high, flames erupting from his feet. With each kick he threw, I moved backwards until I wrapped my water whip around his feet and slammed him to the ground.

I quickly flipped over him before he could stand. I expanded the water between my fingertips. I shot the wave into his back, pushing him to the ground.

He grunted, looking out of breath. I held out my hand, grinning proudly. "Finally beat you."

"I thought this was supposed to be a simple sparring match, Yue."

I shrugged. "Just got a little competitive."

"A little?" I giggled until I noticed how he was holding his shoulder. "Might have overdone it."

I frowned and placed my hands on his arm. No bones were broken, but I could sense something strained.

He tried to push my hands away. "No, Yue. The last time you tried to heal, you hurt yourself."

"I've gotten better at it, I promise." I assured, but my brother didn't seem convinced. My healing wasn't the greatest, but it has improved greatly from when I first tried. Instead of only fixing paper cuts and bruises, I could stop a person from bleeding, mend bones, and, thanks to Kung Lao, save a person from choking on a apple.

I closed my eyes, focusing my energy on him. I could sense a strain in between his shoulder and collarbone, and flattened my palm against him.

Slowly, I moved my fingers against his skin, feeling the blood pumping in his veins. He winced as I began working the muscle and tissue, relieving the tension as gently as I could. The strain dissipated, and I could feel his body relax.

I stepped back, opening my eyes just as my brother began rolling his shoulder with ease. He smiled, no longer in pain. "Thank you, Yue."

"Of course, brother. I'm sorry for hurting you."

"Kung Lao has done worse, trust me."

"Yue, Liu Kang!" we turned to see Raiden and Johnny Cage walking towards us. I looked at my brother, confused. What was he doing here? "You need to come with us."

"Kano is not your prisoner."

"At least help Jax. He needs a medic!"

I could hear Shang Tsung's laughter as we entered the courtyard. Princess Kitana, Jade and Kano followed behind the sorcerer, leaving the area.

The military woman from earlier, Sonya, was with another man I didn't recognize. I'm assuming this was the commanding officer Raiden mentioned she was looking for. He didn't look so good.

"There she is!" Johnny exclaimed, smiling brightly as we approached her. "Sonya! You all right? Hey, looks like you found 'im." he saluted at him. "S'up, Sarge?"

"He's a ma- hey, what are you doing?" she shouted as Raiden and I approached her comrade. I crouched in front of him, closing my eyes to focus on his energy. I could hear Raiden's lighting charging beside me.

"It's okay, they're cool." Cage assured.

I could feel the tension and pain all over his body. I looked to Raiden, and he nodded. The man glowed blue with Raiden's electricity as I focused on internal injuries.

He gasped. "What the-?"

"Jax!"

"Seriously, they're cool."

It only took a few moments, but I could feel Jax's body relax as we healed all of his injuries. His energy no longer felt drained or exhausted, and looked like he was never hurt to begin with. He exclaimed, his arms and his body in shock. "That's amazing!"

"Told ya! Turns out she's a healer, and he's a god!"

I rose to my feet and held out my hand to him. He took it, standing up with ease. "Thank you."

I smiled. "You're welcome."

Sonya looks just as astounded as Jax did. "Thank you... Raiden and...?" she looks to me.

"Yue Takahara." I extended my hand, and she shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, Sonya."

"Likewise. Thank you, Yue."

"Gratitude is unnecessary." Raiden responded. "I have foreseen events, like memories of my future. They lead me to believe that you are all connected to Earthrealm's fate." That's why he's been acting so strange and his amulet - he's been having visions.

"What have you foreseen?" my brother asked.

"In my visions, Shao Kahn becomes invincible. He destroys all life in Earthrealm. We will all die. I believe these flashes are a guide to defeating Shao Kahn. But disrupting the flow of time can have serious consequences."

Johnny didn't seem fazed by Raiden's words. "Psh, I'm not worried. I bet you could win this thing no problem."

I crossed my arms. "If only it were that simple."

Raiden nodded in agreement. "Unless directly challenged, I cannot participate."

"What should we do besides standing around looking pretty?" Cage questioned, smirking flirtatiously at Sonya who rolled her eyes.

"For now, the tournament must run its course."

Sonya looked to Jax, then to Liu Kang and I. "All right then. We're with you, Raiden."