Hello guys! Apologies for the delay - had to take a small, unexpected roadtrip with my family. Just got back and finished this up. Had to rewrite and readjust a number of scenes - and bang in the middle, I got the most compelling idea for how I would write about Kenshi becoming possessed/breaking the Sento - I honestly can't wait to get to that bit, but I've to cover some ground work here first, so you'll have to be patient with me as well.

Anyhow, this chapter is a tad Suchin-centric, canon from the comics. My, my what a lady. It was an absolute pleasure writing about her. Also, Sonya and Johnny Cage too feature in this chapter, whose crumbling marriage and their relation to Cassie was also pretty interesting for me to explore (more on that later). Nevertheless, do expect to see such cameos/characters return frequently as they are essential to the Takahashis' own development.

Before beginning, let me just give a shoutout to my wonderful reviewers - BrutusSilentium, iceangelmkx and Take-Jacq for taking out time to write out to me about the story and encouraging me to continue - I truly appreciate it! :)

Also, I was quite surprised to note the number of favourites/follows this story got - an additional thank you to Obelisk of Light, Poe's Daughter, Hollywollypolly, meenachalle, ninjaeis13 and the Mistress of Shadow Dragons for reading my story and favouriting/following it. I would love to read any comments, criticisms, ideas, or just all your thoughts on how the updates are - so do let me know what you think of this!

Disclaimer: I own no one, nothing. Just filling in the gaps.

The Takahashi Family Saga

Of Love and Loss

II

Lampang, Thailand

March, 1999

Suchin did not require any telepathy to sense that something was horribly wrong in her side of the town. Stores were being closed early, factory workers were let off from their work without completing half the day – everyone felt a sense of palpable yet unfounded terror in the streets, yet no one could be hard-pressed to factually define what scared them out of their element. Since the past few days, she had often wondered if all this had something to with the new recruiter around town, that 'Mavado-khun.'

Until today. Today, her entire reality, the seemingly secure existence of her little family had ripped itself apart at the seams, in front of her eyes as she remained too helpless to do anything. One note – three sentences, pinned down by an onyx dagger shaped like a dragon with menacing ruby-eyes, were all that were required to send the once-confident Suchin into a frenzy of paranoia. The image of the words, written in blood and stamped with a medieval seal, replayed on continuously in her mind.

It will all end tonight.

By the name of Daegon - you, Suchin, and your child will pay for Takahashi Kenshi's vile treachery with your blood.

Tonight -the Red Dragon will claim your traitorous souls.

Suchin had discovered the damning note on her work-desk as she returned from lunch. There were no doubts about the authenticity of the threat – despite her simplistic lifestyle, Suchin was intelligently aware of the developments of crime syndicates and their umbrella operations in developing countries. Whatever doctrines or dogmas this Daegon and the Red Dragon stood for, she knew that targeting a struggling single mother and a minor would be a task all too easy for such organisations.

She took off without a word from her work. Fear took her heart in a vicious grip, the muscles in her back and neck becoming wrought with tension, constricting her breathing, disorienting her to the extent that she simply could not bear to register any of her surroundings as she made her way of home. Trapped in the haze of her own mind, the only instinct that kept from the young single mother from screaming out from sheer terror was the thought of her son; that she must get to Takeda at all costs.

Takeda.

Images of the young boy flashed through her eyes - growing up from an active toddler, to a quiet, mild-mannered but fiercely headstrong young boy. The thought warmed her heart. Polite, playful, obedient - with a killer sweet tooth. He was growing up quickly now - she could see he'll reflect the edginess and the confidence Suchin once had exhibited herself. Before motherhood changed her, made her overly cautious and forever fearful. She could tell already that he would grow up to be a bold, self-reliant young man, with a thick mane of silky hair he'd gotten directly from Suchin, and penetrating cerulean eyes that were nowhere in her lineage - his father's unmistakable bequest. His father...

'Kenshi… Takahashi Kenshi... What have you done? What have you become? How could you endanger - No, you wouldn't… How do Takeda and I get out of this? What have we got to do with this? Takeda! My heart… God, no…'

Her mind was a chorus of irrational, erratic thoughts and questions for which she had no answers, no solutions. The bus ride that normally took 25 minutes to reach her street, seemed like centuries' worth of futile travel. Yet by the time Suchin had reached home, she had had some semblance of wit to come up with a half-decent plan. Or, more accurately, furnish a plan from events that were already in place.

The only way, she thought, to ensure Takeda's chances of survival.

With nervous, trembling hands, Suchin took out the keys to her humble abode – fumbling and dropping them twice before she was finally successful in unlocking the door. Right before she entered, she felt two small arms grab a hold of her from behind, taking her form into as tight an embrace an eight-year old could muster. For once, Suchin was unafraid, unperturbed by Takeda's sudden show of affection – she crouched and took the child into her arms, as he sobbed, but vehemently refused to tell her what upset him.

Suchin brought him inside as silently as he had embraced her, making him sit on the kitchen counter. She wiped away his tears before hurriedly locking the door, drawing the curtains over the windows. Darkness, she felt, would ward off the cult's prying eyes - and in that moment, she nearly wished that all manner and manifestations of light in itself ceased to exist, forever.

In the darkened room, Suchin managed to fill a cup of water, which she brought to her son - his face illuminated by a sole, defiant ray of light that came from the kitchen curtains. He looked up at her with red-rimmed cerulean eyes that tore at her bruised heart, but Suchin realised that the time to play a normal mother to Takeda was long past now.

"Takeda, listen to me," Suchin began, smoothing his hair and cupping his cheeks as he looked into her eyes.

"What... what's wrong, mama?" The boy's eyelashes cast a long shadow underneath his eyes as looked down to take a sip from the cup, before bringing his gaze back to his mother's face. The image of the young boy, strong yet fragile in her own conflicting imagination, etched itself indelibly into her mind. His concern, was innocent as it was, left her unusually dumbfounded.

It was a peculiar moment of realisation for Suchin. Previously, she had never found herself reduced to such helpless nothingness, nor allowed the odds to overwhelm her. Not when she was harassed by four thugs in the encounter where she first met the love of her life, not when she defied her mother and everything else she held dear to her heart to pursue an intense relationship with Takahashi Kenshi, and most certainly not when she faced the ridicule of the world around her as she brought up a child herself out of wedlock whilst barely making minimum wage.

How could she permit some cultish, mindless goons to dictate and victimise her family like that? She would tear apart anyone who tried to threaten her little paradise – Kenshi had taught her as much, if not more than that.

A streak of blinding rage sparked within the young single mother, as she gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her palms, feeling an adrenaline rush coming on.

"Mama! You're bleeding!" Takeda exclaimed, scuffling to get off the table.

Suchin snapped out of her reverie and realised that there was a small vein of blood flowing from one of her palms, the result of clenching her fist too tightly. She let out a breathless, humourless laugh, and shook her head as she wiped her hand off a nearby napkin. 'Save the rage for later, Suchin,' she thought to herself.

"It's- it's nothing," she murmured to her son, before holding his hands and making him look at her. Takeda did not press her, but she could see the curious, questioning gaze, accompanied by a slight tilt of the head he unknowingly acquired from his father.

"Remember I told you, your grandmother is coming today, right?" asked Suchin, asked, trying her best to keep her voice from quivering.

"Oh yeah! Kun-Yaai is coming – I almost forgot!" little Takeda nearly smacked his own forehead.

"There's been a change of plans, son. You're going with her for a few days-" Suchin paused. 'Please don't ask why.'

"Why?" Takeda frowned. "Spring break isn't until another week."

"She-she just misses having you around her, little one," she comforted her son, combing his hair affectionately with her fingers. "It'll be fine, I will speak to your teacher about it, you don't worry." Suchin found a strangest sense of courage swelling up inside her as her son, albeit very reluctantly, accepted her words. Or at least, did not question her any further.

"Oh… You'll come with us too, right?" Takeda asked, rubbing his eye tiredly.

"I will – in a day or two…" Suchin replied, nodding to herself. "There are just a few things I need to take care of first..."

Takeda nodded. "I'll go pack my stuff…" Just as the young boy was about to get off the table when his mother enveloped him in a tight embrace. He almost groaned a little, annoyed, but his mother did not let go until several long moments.

"Just-just one last thing, son," began Suchin, unsure of how her son would react to her following words.

Given the content of the note, given Kenshi's unshakable convictions and will, Suchin could not help but feel his return was inevitable. She had no way to contact him herself, but still could not ignore her irrational intuition - this belief following the Red Dragon's threat, was as natural, as elemental to Suchin, as was the assurance that the ground beneath her feet was solid, and the boy in front of her presently was her own son.

These were ideas that Suchin could not just simply explain to Takeda. How does one introduce the perpetually absent father to a child who has never seen, never heard of him? How does one begin to explain what kind of work the blind swordsman did, or does, and his damned wanderlust that has kept him away from his kin for so long? How does one frame the unannounced, bewildering, even improbable return of such a parent when you're especially trying to evade any questions on the intensely dire circumstances that had gripped your family in its hold?

Suchin inhaled deeply before continuing. "Takeda… Your- I'm not sure, but I think your father will visit you. Listen to him, and do as he says, do you understand?" As soon as the words were out, Suchin knew her son wouldn't take them well.

"I don't have a father, mom," Takeda tensed up and broke the embrace, refusing to look into her eyes as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Takeda!" she exclaimed sharply, scolding.

The boy erupted. "He's never around, why would he come back now? I-I don't even know that he looks like!" Takeda shouted. "He can't even see, how would he recognise us?!" Takeda wailed, exasperated. Suchin closed her eyes shut and felt the euphoric sense of courage she was feeling mere moments ago, be crushed by the weight of reality in her bosom, replaced by an emptiness akin to that of a defeat on a battlefield.

"Takeda, my son – listen," she began calmly. "He's your father, he will recognise you – he'll feel it in here," she placed a hand at the boy's beating heart, "and that's how he'll know."

Unknown to the boy, Kenshi had done the exact same to Suchin, before telling her what she was thinking, naming her unnamed emotions for the swordsman, before confessing the nature of his true work, and his need to leave her, eventually. The memory brought tears to Suchin's eyes.

"Heed him, son – for my sake!" Suchin continued. "He will always protect you…" - 'far, far better than I can,' Suchin mentally concluded.

Takeda's face was a mask of conflicting emotions, as he gazed at the floor, torn at how he could respond to his mother, especially when she spoke like that, leaving him no option but to comply.

"Will you do that for me?" Suchin whispered, her voice breaking with all sense of composure.

Takeda looked up with wide eyes, and grabbed his mother's hand. "Mama, please tell me what happen-"

"Promise me, Takahashi Takeda!" Suchin cried. "Do you promise you'll listen to Kenshi?" In some remote part of her mind, Suchin realised this was the first time she had taken the swordsman's name in front of her son. A bitter revelation, a mistake on her part she realised, as she stared pleadingly into his eyes.

Takeda felt cornered, and knew he would have to give in. "O-kay…" Takeda croaked, sadly, thinking that he would do anything to make his mother happy – even if it meant meeting the faceless father who had abandoned them. "But I won't like it," he grumbled.

Suchin let out a small laugh as she kissed her son's forehead. "Thank you, Takeda," she smiled the first genuine smile for the day with teary eyes. "By the way, I remembered – I saved up a little for your carnival-"

"Whaa- you did?!" Takeda could not hide his gladness. Suchin's heart nearly skipped a beat at how innocent he was, how small his world was and how dangerously close it was to the brink of destruction. The realisation shook her to the core, reinforcing the belief that her current decision was most certainly the most appropriate course of action, for Takeda at least.

"I sure did!" she smiled forcefully, "Now go get your stuff, Kun-Yaai will be here any minute now!"

Special Forces Base

Classified Location

Major Blade felt a cold chill in her otherwise perfectly warm Special Forces cabin. Her husband, Johnny Cage, the only other occupant, was visibly disturbed although he tried to hide it. The actor's presence in the room was arguably unprofessional on her part, and most probably a stupid idea given that they were seriously considering separation at that point in time.

The atmosphere in the room, oddly enough, almost reflected their marriage - mounting, palpable tension shrouded with thoughts of an untimely end. But Sonya had to suppress that thought, focus on the task at hand. The incessant, haunting dial tone of the satellite phone had been going on for far too long now. Sonya did not glance once at Johnny – as if the act would somehow validate their worst fears - that Daegon or his goons might have gotten to Kenshi, or worse.

Johnny Cage. Sonya would be hard-pressed to ever acknowledge how secretly glad she was to have him at her side for the moment. For now, she was to deliver a particularly baffling piece of news to a close ally, who had narrowly escaped the deathly clutches of the Red Dragon clan; and was living more or less, the life of a fugitive on the run. All thanks to an undercooked espionage plan she had hastily agreed to, and emphatically asked the swordsman to be a part of. Unknowingly, Sonya's ambitious plan for the SF had dragged the only semblance of his family directly into the crossfire of a brutal criminal organisation who would stop at no costs to eradicate the Takahashi lineage.

No answer. Deliberately avoiding eye contact with Cage, Sonya dialed the number again.

More than ever, she would now need Johnny to smooth-talk over Kenshi should he not take the news well. Given their comfortable friendship, she felt herself unusually counting on him to work the charisma the actor usually saved only for the cameras. And heaven forbid – Sonya would gladly eat a gun before admitting it – Cage's charm at times actually works. Not that she expected Kenshi to fall for it the slightest, but Sonya realised that despite his seemingly calm profile, the forthcoming conversation with the swordsman could possibly take an uncivil turn. Scratch that, it probably will. This, embarrassingly, rendered her estranged husband almost a contingency plan.

Cage was, however, uncharacteristically quiet – cognisant of the importance of the matter at hand. He'd have once flicked his collar back and remarked casually how kids merely only complicate things, but fatherhood had changed him in mysterious, and otherwise, not-so-mysterious ways. Discovering the existence of your child, and then immediately, an impending danger to their life because of your actions – Johnny practically shivered. Any thought of harm coming to Cassie aroused in him emotions he simply couldn't name. He couldn't dare to imagine the complexity of the swordsman's position when he learns of the news.

Click.

"Major Blade, this is Takahashi Kenshi, reporting," the weary, yet welcome voice of the blind swordsman ripped through loud and clear on the SF satellite device.

Johnny Cage breathed a sigh of relief.

"Glad you picked up, Ken - we were beginning to get worried," Johnny Cage's voice was laced with concern for his respected, close counterpart. Sonya meanwhile, pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to clear her mind.

There was a minor hesitation from the other end of the line – probably as Kenshi mulled over how to respond to Cage's frank remark, even though the medium used was hardly meant for exchanging casual pleasantries.

"How's the little one doing?" Kenshi's voice seemed hoarse, yet one could detect the barest hint of a smile in his voice as he deliberately evaded Cage's previous statement-cum-question. It was just easier that way for him.

Yet Sonya nearly winced at his words; telepath or not, Kenshi had unknowingly cut close to the chase.

"Good, thanks. I have some crucial intel to pass onto you, Kenshi," Sonya spoke clearly into the mic.

"Continue," came a curt, serious reply.

"We've been tracking movements and gathering low-level ground intelligence from some known Red Dragon gangs – there's been a sudden, intense interest in extending their sphere of influence to Thailand. It… it took us a while, but we had to be one hundred percent certain before we broke the news to you, Kenshi-" Sonya paused, only briefly.

"You have an eight-year old son from a woman named Suchin, residing near Lampang," Major Blade did not flinch the slightest as she uttered the words. Cage bowed his head and leaned against the wall with arms folded.

"I… What?!"

"You heard me correctly. We were able to obtain local hospital records and run a DNA scan that confirmed the identity of your family. We fear that the Red Dragon have-"

"Just… stop," Kenshi growled as an uncomfortable, heavy pause ensued. Sonya began to lose her concern to growing impatience. Things were clearly not moving along fast enough, and they were losing precious time – she had to do something about it.

Before she could reply harshly to the swordsman, Sonya felt a hand settle on her forearm and turn her around as Johnny Cage, privy to the conversation, fiercely silenced his wife by putting a finger on his own lips, expression uncommonly stern. She felt a wave of annoyance drown out her inner reason as she contemplated smacking the hand away and possibly shoving a palm-strike in his face for intruding in on her work. Cage saw her intent written plainly on her face, and his gesture changed quickly to one of defense as he held his hands up.

"Easy, Sonya - give him a second," Johnny whispered lowly to her. Surprisingly enough, she decided to back off.

As rare was it was, Johnny was right. Takahashi Kenshi had barely escaped a number of brutal attacks on his life, all whilst following the orders and doing Sonya a favour by playing a double-crossing Special Forces agent who was well-established in the Red Dragon ranks. Before that, he had been pursuing the cult unilaterally and single-handedly to satisfy his own personal convictions. Despite his initial concerns, he finally consented to work for the SF on Sonya's personal request – rendering her personally responsible in part for the mess. And Cage, driving home the point with his usual brash tact, merely exemplified Sonya's nebulous, confused sense of guilt.

Regardless, Sonya sent a glare his way, before turning her attention away from the actor.

"What have those bastards done to Suchin and my son? Don't mince words with me, Major," the swordsman's rage was poorly masked, his words quivering under the weight of his own threatening tone.

"We're not sure, Kenshi. Mavado has made his presence known in Lampang; he's heavily recruiting there. There's been a movement of troops – but we'd have received word if your family was targeted directly by now."

"If?! God-damn it, Sonya! Mavado is in the area, and the SF wasted God-knows how many days merely determining their identities! I-" Kenshi all but roared, before he himself paused mid-sentence. "Send me the exact co-ordinates of their location, Major. I'll handle this personally."

"I'll issue them to your communication devices promptly. I've also dispatched a specialist unit and a chopper to aid you in their rescue. They'll reach our check-post to the north of your current location at 0800 hours, local time-"

"Thank you, Major Blade, but I won't sit around and wait until then. There is no time," Kenshi's icy tone could have cut through concrete. Sonya gritted her teeth and nodded, seeing his logic despite the condescending attitude. "If you can, get the same force, under-cover to Thailand – complete with differing aliases, IDs and documentation, with tickets to the earliest ships and flights out from both Lampang and Bangkok. I'll let you know if I need any further help."

"Think it through, Kenshi – we can't afford to lose out to any rash decisions at this point," Sonya spoke calmly. "What is your plan?"

"Get to Suchin and my… son – protect them, get them to safety…" came the husky response, the anger and iciness of moments before giving way to a constricting, undefined hollowness.

The Cages' were all too familiar with the nameless emotion that had gripped their counterpart – the helplessness, the uncertainty, the feeling of having the ground pulled from underneath your feet at the prospect of harm coming to your kin. That sheer vulnerability had propelled Earthrealm's strongest fighters to beat the odds and defeat Shinnok some years ago – Sonya's heart twisted in pain for her ally as he stated his simplistically profound objectives.

"You get those low-life punks good, Kenshi!" Johnny replied, slightly optimistic, in a bid to pump up the swordsman.

"Alright. We'll keep you updated on all Red Dragon movements, and have a force on stand-by at Bangkok within the day. Let us know immediately should you require anything. All the best," confirmed Sonya.

Kenshi replaced the receiver without a goodbye, as was evident from a forced click that was the only reply.

Johnny Cage let out a low whistle. "Well, that went well," he said, dead-pan in a poor attempt to break the awkward silence in between him and his estranged wife.

Sonya continued to stare ahead at the LED display screen of the SF main-base computer; at the two side-by-side pictures of a beautiful long-haired Thai-American woman and a young boy with cerulean eyes and features that were a carbon copy of the older Takahashi, complete with the familiar confident tilt of the head. People she had never met, and had only known about their existence off the face of the Earth in these past few hours – Sonya could not help but pray in her heart that Kenshi be successful in protecting his family.

"You're dismissed, Cage," she replied flatly.

It was a confounding, paradoxical revelation, even for her – praying for the security and well-being of another's family, while her own was in the process of imploding. While Sonya herself played an active role in icing out her husband in favour of her work, fracturing their relationship beyond repair. She rationalised it internally, as part of her duty, her responsibility in looking out for her fellow comrades. End of. This had nothing to do with her personal problems with the needy husband who couldn't be bothered to understand the gravity of her work, motherhood or not.

She could feel her husband's glare boring into her being; the Major paid absolutely no heed whatsoever.

"Fine, Sonya," Cage then interjected, evidently hurt by her behaviour. "Be that way." With that, he exited the cabin with a resounding bang of the door – for good or bad, Sonya could not and would not immediately discern.

Evening

Lampang, Thailand

Suchin sat at the kitchen table, sipping her tea quietly as the last rays of the sun cast long, shadowy silhouettes in the room - mirroring the dark thoughts that haunted her mind in a moment frozen in time. The sky was painted in hues of pink, peach and crimson – overtaken and absorbed slowly by the overarching black night. She welcomed the darkness - she was ready.

Takeda had left with his grandmother several hours ago. Should her worst fears manifest themselves, if the supposed Red Dragon thugs were as dangerous as they come, at least they would have had a head-start on them. She could not bear to think what would happen if they had gotten to her son first - no. She steered away from that line of thought, for her own sanity.

The same darkness, as suspected by Suchin, was refuge for the evil Red Dragon as well. It was not long before the cult's recruits tracked down Suchin at her home.

As a knock thundered on the front door, Suchin paused only briefly – letting out a deep, slow breath. Despite her racing heart, she straightened her shoulders and neatly replaced the tea cup in its saucer. With the air of a proud fighter, she picked up the wakizashi – a short-sword, the only memento of Kenshi she had apart from her memories – and walked to the front door.

It broke down on the inside before she could reach it. Three masked men, heavily armoured and armed with conventional firepower, entered and surrounded her.

Suchin had never felt as calm as she did at that moment.

"You the bitch with Kenshi's bastard?!" a hideous goon barked at her, looking about at her scant, but tasteful household.

Unsheathing the sword, Suchin raised her chin, arched an eyebrow and looked at the man with an unwavering gaze. She was ready.

"I'm the bitch with a blade!"

So that's chapter two! Just a quick additional note - Thanks to banksaran91 for telling me the correct word for Grandmother in Thai - Kun Yaai. Also - just a hint of what's to come next - if it's anyone who makes Kenshi nervous, it's Suchin's mother (coming up next, or in later chapters) ;)

I understand I could have done more with the Johnny/Sonya scenario, but rest assured, I intend on bringing them back frequently - you will see some more development there. Haven't really written this kind of thing before, so would appreciate any advice on divorces/crumbling marriages!

As always, thanks very much reading this uber long update. Please, please do let me know what you think of this! Enjoy! :)