Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat.Chapter 5: Those in Need

Wu Residence, Linxia

"Leaving so soon?", Chang Chang asked as she stood along with her family at the front porch of the house with Kuai Liang and Kitana carrying their belongings.

"Yes", Kuai Liang sadly replied as he strenghtened the strap of his rucksack. "We have business elsewhere and that we needed to meet up with our client at this point." The family was saddened to hear of this, and Kitana also felt the same as she had become closer with the family, particularly to little Mei, whom she had played with during their stay at the house.

"But do not worry", Kuai Liang spoke. "We'll come and visit as soon as we can once we had free time, and we'll make sure it'll happen, you have our word", he said as the family brightened at the declaration.

"Well lad, it's best if you write before you visit, that way we'll be prepared for your arrival. Haven't had a good time since you and Kitana here visited.", Wu Fong stated with a smile to which both ninja nodded.

"I just wish that you can stay longer but mommy said that you need to be out", Mei spoke with small tears on her eyes as she would not see her godfather and brother-figure for a long time. Kuai Liang could not find the right words at this moment and he took a glance at Kitana to which she gave a small nod.

She knelt down with her eyes locking at the little girl and wiped the tears with her thumbs and gave a genuine smile at the girl. "Don't be sad, Mei. Me and Kuai will visit soon, you both had our promise"

Mei shrugged as she agreed to it but not before making a hand gesture. "Pinky swear?", she asked.

Returning the gesture by locking their fingers along with Kuai Liang, she replied. "Pinky swear"to which Kitana ruffled Mei's hair a bit and the two proceded ro depart from their residence.

"Take good care of Kitana, Kuai!", Chang Chang called out.

"Take care you two!", Shumeng called out while waving her hand along with her family and the two replied by waving their hands at them before returning to their journey. While this was happening, little Mei was holding a tiara that had belonged to Kitana, as a remembrance of their promise to her as she looked at her sibling-figures.

Outkirsts, China

They were now once again on their way through the snowy terrain. Even without any blizzards the weather was still cold, but at least it was much less dangerous now though the cold didn't bother Kuai a bit, as he gave his own coat to Kitana to warm herself up

After their departure from Linxia towards the Sky Temple to report their progress, the two camped day by day but this time, they both sleep at the same tent, at Kuai Liang's suggestion in case of any reccuring nightmares on Kitana's behalf.

Kuai Liang was calm, if not quite brightened after their time during the festival. Piece by piece, he understand his traveling companion for the life of him. She was nice to be with, kind, free-spirited warm-hearted and loyal, traits that Kuai Liang admired. The fact that at the moment he suggested to stick around her was troubling to him, as he knew that she or him would be targeted either by Outworld or by the Cyber Lin Kuei.

''Kuai, look, a village!'' Shouted Kitana in relief with a finger pointing to the distance as they had been traveling for a while now.

Her sudden outburst snapped Kuai Liang out of his inner thoughts and focused his attention to where she was pointing at, and the woman was right, he could see a small village in the distance

''We may be able to find more climate-friendly clothing for the cold in there, along with some supplies while we are at it.'' Kuai Liang said.

''Well, lead the the way Kuai'' Said Kitana, with a smile, joining the man in her relief.

After a minutes of walking it didn't take long for the two ninja to reach the small village.

The village wasn't big by any stretch. There were maybe around thirty wooden buildings total, which was pretty small in comparison to what the ninja were used to. However, not even a couple minutes in, the two young ninjas noticed something wasn't right. As they walked the street they saw that it was pretty desolated for the time of the day, even for a small village. And the few people that they did see on the street had faces that reflected hopelessness if their dead eyes were any indication to go by.

The blue-clad ninjas kept walking slowly and glancing around. The villagers barely looked back at them, seemingly not even caring about the strangers in their home.

Kitana looked at Kuai Liang with a side glance. ''Kuai. Did you notice?'' asked the Edenian to the Cryomancer.

''Yes. These people are acting pretty weird. There are not many of them and they have this strange look on their face.'' Answered Kuai Liang, not stopping inspecting the village even as he talked.

''I'm starting to think these people may need more help than we do.'' Concluded the hazel-eyed woman.

Kuai Liang nodded at that, in agreement with the woman. 'Is something going on here?'

It wasn't long until they spotted a small shop. It was the kind of shop that usually sold cheap quality products at low price, which suited them just fine since they only needed a couple cloaks just in case they lost theirs.

''Good day, lads.'' called a middle aged man to them in greeting as they came into the store. He was plain looking, he was of medium height, had a short goatee, and black messy hair. But he still had a sad look just like most people in the village and that made the two ninja worry.

''Hello'' answered both Kuai Liang and Kitana at the same time.

''What can I do for you?'' Asked the man cordially.

Kuai Liang stepped towards the man. ''We are looking for some traveling cloaks for the winter. We aren't from around here and we need to pass through the region towards the north.'' Told the Cryomancer to the man.

The man nodded and pointed to the side of the store. ''Of course, lad. I have some winter cloaks over there; it's not much but I think they do the job well enough.'' Said the man gently.

The pair of ninja walked to where the cloaks were and they found them to be just what they were looking for, they were large white fur cloaks. They weren't of the finest work, but they would do.

They promptly paid for their new pieces of clothing and rapidly put them on to try them. They were rather comfy and warm, which was just perfect.

''These feel nice.'' purred Kitana in delight.

''They are good, despite being its low price.'' Agreed Kuai Liang despite not needing it but nonetheless deciding to keep it on.

The man had a small grin on his face at the praise for his merchandise. ''Glad you two like them. To tell the truth sales have dropped drastically lately. People right now don't feel like going out of their homes.'' Said the man with a sad look that soon replaced his previous grin.

That got both ninja's curiosity, and Kitana couldn't help but ask. ''Speaking of which, sir; is something going on around here? People are acting strangely.''

Kuai Liang would normally do the talking but this time he was glad that she asked since it would serve as practice to her interactions with other Earthrealmers. She too was curious to know what the deal with the village was.

The man's expression got even sadder, but he started speaking anyway. ''You see, we have a problem in town, actually. People have started going missing for a while now.'' Explained the man somberly.

''Going missing? How does it happen?'' Asked Kitana with her head tilted to the side, puzzled at the thought.

The man closed his eyes in remembrance. ''We are not sure. Since about a month ago. People go to the mountains to either hunt or gather supplies and sometimes they never return.'' Explained the man. ''We have accidents from time to time so is not as uncommon for people go missing. But most of the time they return after a while if they get lost or the occasional storm traps them. After all, at outside, a lot of things can happen. But this is different; the number of missing people is too high. Many people here have lost someone already. Now almost everyone chose to stay in their homes, either from fear of going missing too or to mourn their lost loved ones.''

By the end of the explanation, Kuai Liang, and Kitana had looks of pity. They had guessed something was up in the village, but not quite like this. Whatever was happening had to be something big.

''Bà (Daddy) , who are they?'' A small voice interrupted them before they could ask anything else. All of the room occupants turned their heads to look at the source of the voice.

They saw a small girl, probably no older than seven years or so. She had dark hair that she kept in two buns and was wearing a small winter jacket and pants. She seemed wary and looked sad.

''They are just a pair of customers, sweety.'' Said the man to the girl with a warm smile.

The girl approached them as Kitana and Kuai Liang watched in curiosity. After getting close enough that she had to look up to meet their eyes, she said ''You are mercenaries, right?'' Asked the child innocently to the teenagers as she looked closely on their exposed outfits outside their fur coats.

''I-uh...kind of?'' Replied Kitana awkwardly, not sure how to address the small girl. Kuai Liang would chuckle at the statment but could not at this moment.

In an instant, she had a hopeful look and her face brightened. ''Really? Then, can you help my mommy? She hasn't come home. I just want her to be with me. Please?'' Pleaded the girl to the ninja.

Kuai Liang and Kitana both looked stunned. They never expected the girl to make such a request and were at a loss for words. They didn't know if they could help, but they surely didn't want to break the heart of a little girl, not after the time they spent with Mei back at Linxia.

''Please Lan, can you go play in another room? We are busy here. When we are finished you can come talk to them, alright?'' Said the man to the child.

The little girl pouted but still obeyed ''Okay .'' Said the girl before leaving through a door behind the man as Kuai Liang and Kitana looked on silently.

Said man just gave a sigh before turning to the blue-clad ninja. ''That was my daughter Lan. She is usually very reserved and doesn't talk to strangers, but she has been getting restless lately.'' He brought his palm to his forehead before continuing. ''I didn't mention this before, but my wife is also one of the missing people.''

Kuai Liang widened his eyes at hearing that, while Kitana closed her eyes, already having guessed as much by the way the man and the girl were acting.

''How did it happen?'' Asked a worried Kuai Liang, it was just like him to worry for the wellbeing of others though it was once rare or discouraged during his service to the Lin Kuei.

The man once again gave a sigh, much more melancholic this time. ''It was soon after the first disappearances happened. At the time, we didn't think it had been more than a terrible tragedy, an accident or something, and we ignored that this was going to become a sort of trend.''

Kuai Liang and Kitana listened intently to the man's story, curious to know more and perhaps, they may do something about it.

''It started like this, my wife and I went to the woods to gather some firewood and some wildlife for dinner. We knew that at this time of the year storms are very common, and they can last for days, so we needed to stockpile as many resources as we could. But when we decided to seperate to gather on our own, she never came back. I waited for her for hours that day, until I finally decided that something terrible had to have happened. For days, I would go back into the woods to keep looking, but I found nothing. I haven't seen my wife since.'' Finished the man at the verge of tearing up with Kitana placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

Kuai Liang clenched his hands, feeling the need to do something. He couldn't forgive himself if he could do something, anything, to help these people and Kitana also felt the same.

''It is not my business to intrude, but, if this problem has been so persistent, then why not ask any of the regional guards or help.'' Suggested Kitana.

The man just shook his head solemnly. ''The guards couldn't come due to the climate here. They aren't as large as Beijing or Shanghai, so they can't afford to use manpower. There are mercenaries but they would want a high price that we can't afford. We are a small village, we couldn't possibly gather enough money to warrant their help, even less so now that we are short on people, and we become less and less as the weeks go by.''

''But how can they just do nothing?'' Said Kuai Liang in resentment.

''I'm sorry, I'm going to go out soon and I have to close the store. I think I have taken enough of your time. Thank you for stopping by and I wish you good luck on your travels.'' Said the man as he started preparing to close shop. It was a peculiar hour to be closing, since it was early still, so they assumed that he was probably going to go out to keep searching for his wife.

The blue-clad ninjas excused themselves and thanked the man for the items before they left. However, as they exited they saw the little girl from earlier waiting for them just around the corner of the shop. They guessed that she must have sneaked out of the store from a back door or something.

Kitana waved at the girl and walked towards her. ''Hi there. Lan, right? What are you doing here all by yourself?'' Asked the Edenian to the child.

Kuai Liang also approached the girl in curiosity, and she was taken aback when the girl took out a small piggy bank from her cloak and held it before them in an offering. ''Please, mister and miss mercenary. Please, bring back my mommy! This is all the money I have, so please, bring her back to me!'' Pleaded the girl with tears streaming down her face and shaking with her sobs.

Kitana widened her eyes at the unexpected request from the girl. The girl's affection for her mother was obviously strong, and she could see herself in the child. She had lost her mother too when she was too young to even walk. She even remembered the day when she was brought back to eliminate her and her allies. It was a sad sight for her, especially she knew the feeling.

''Lan...'' mumbled Kuai Liang, unsure of how to respond to the girl's actions. Kitana got the Cryomancer's attention when she started walking towards the girl. ''Kitana?'' Asked the confused Lin Kuei.

The Edenian stopped just before the girl and got on one knee to meet the child's gaze with her own.

The little girl stared back at Kitana, confused and with a puffy face but still showing determination.

Kitana put a hand on the piggy bank and gently pushed it to the child's chest, which made the little girl stare at it not knowing what was the older woman doing.

''Keep it,.'' Said Kitana in a low voice, almost a whisper in an effort to be gentle. ''You should go back to your father. If he finds out you aren't there he is gonna get worried. You don't want that, do you?''

''B-but my mom...'' Replied the child and one could tell she was about to cry.

''She wouldn't want you making your dad worry about you and giving your hard earned money to strangers. So have to go back inside. Wait there for your mom.'' Said Kitana to the girl. She really wasn't good with kids since she only trained with Jade inside the palace during most of her childhood.

The small girl looked terribly disappointed and heart-broken at having her request dismissed. And while still shaking with repressed sobs she went back to her family's store

With a heavy soul, Kuai Liang watched the little girl walk back inside the building and he gritted his teeth with impotence. He could just not let the suffering of this people continue.

He and his traveling companion stayed at the side of the building for a few minutes, going over these recent events in their heads.

Kuai Liang made up his mind and decided that he was going to help these people, with or without Kitana. He opened his mouth to tell the girl what was on his mind but was interrupted before he could.

''We're going to help them.'' Said Kitana plainly, which left Kuai Liang agape. He wasn't sure if he heard right. "The reason why I didn't accept it is because a good deed is not purchasable, and as Princess, even though I'm not as such anymore, I will not turn my back to people like her.", she declared. "Will you help me, Kuai?"

Kuai Liang only smiled at her determination and he nodded at her request and the two make preparations thereafter.

Shao Kahn's fortress, Outworld

Mileena Kahnum, the daughter and heir to Shao Kahn, lazily sat on her throne with Ermac and Baraka beside her. It has been two years since her ascension, which she needed to flush out several of Shao Kahn's high-ranking generals, to secure her position as Empress. She followed her father's way of ruling, one that has an iron fist to which she eliminated several political and miliatary figures whom she deemed a threat to her power.

While thinking of what to do next as her act as Empress, a Tarkatan entered and he gave a bow to the Empress, who maintained her impassive expression.

"Talk", she ordered.

"Pardon me Empress, but you're father's client of the Black Dragon clan requests an audience ", the Tarkatan nervously stated.

'He must be here with dagger', Mileena thought. "Bring him in!"

The Tarkatan nodded. And a few moments later, Kano entered the throneroom with his optical implant repaired but was noticeable with bruises and cut wounds.

"Do you have the dagger, Kano?", Mileena asked as Kano rubbed his head sheepishly.

"About that, your highness. I don't have it yet,-", Kano spoke but he was cut off.

"That is why I always thought my father made a mistake hiring you buffoons!", Mileena seethed with anger as Baraka and the Tarkatans present were prepared to unleash their blades towards the Earthrealmer in front of them.

"It would be easy if it wasn't for that Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero", Kano stated as Mileena was surprised at the statement.

"I thought Quan Chi had him on his leash", Mileena said as she had heard what he had done to the souls of Earthrealm's heroes after Sindel killed them.

"That's what I thought too", Kano replied before he spoke again. "Along with him was your sister, Kitana. The two were working together to get the dagger possibly in courtesy of Raiden.

Mileena was shocked at what Kano said. Of all people, she did not expect Kitana would be freed from Quan Chi's control and judging on the circumstances now, she gave a wicked smile.

"Tell me, Kano", she asked evilly with the Black Dragon leader shrugging his shoulders. "What happened really?"

AN:

Aaaand Cut! After reading the reviews, I was happy on them of the approach I'm taking. So far, things are looking good though between the two. Now, I am going to focus on my first fic so this might not be updated for a week or so until I say so. Anyways, Spectre, signing off!